The First Name on the List Job
by Ele84
Summary: Back in the first days of Leverage Consulting and Associates, Eliot made a list of people to call in case someone gets him and he can’t help them. Nate has to call the first one so they can get Eliot back from some Mobsters. NOW COMPLETE
1. The Leathered Notebook

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. But I'd love to own Christian Kane for a bit… :p

Rating: I'd say T, but just to be sure. Language and violence for sure. Maybe a little smut in the future episodes, but we'll see.

Pairings: none to be seen in the near future

Summary: Back in the first days of Leverage Consulting and Associates, Eliot made a list of people to call in case someone gets him and he can't help them. Nate has to call the first one so they can get Eliot back from some Mobsters.

It should be a 5 chapters story and I already have 3 of them ready. So hopefully It shouldn't take me long to post the whole story.

Here we go, hope you enjoy it…

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**Chapter 1**

**The Leathered Notebook**

Nate stared at the little black leathered notebook in his hands: it seemed like it had been a life ago that Eliot gave it to him. Well, not exactly that, because the original one was in the office when the bomb went off in there. But still…

He had been sipping yet another glass of whiskey when the southern man came into his office, his face dead serious.

«This thing it's just in case something happens to me and you need another hitman to help you out of your mess or even to help you getting me back. The first name in that list is especially if you want to get me back. She'll do anything to do so. Any other name written there, I trust those people with my life and, well, yours. But the first name, she's by far the safest.»

Back then he had been so utterly drunken he had probably dismissed that act and those words with just a mumbling sound and a wave of his free hand (the other one never leaving his glass).

Now that Eliot was missing, held prisoner and probably being tortured by several members of the Russian Mob, well, he was sending a silent thank you to God for Eliot's insight. He briefly thought back at the job in New York went south: it wasn't supposed to be one of their most dangerous cons, but there was no way they could have guessed the Russian Mob would have something to do with it. As it was, their mark's daughter was paying back her debits prostituting for Taylor, her money-lender, who revealed himself to be a real loan shark when he offered her services to Garkof, the local Russian Mob boss, and the latter man had developed a sort of sick affection for the young woman. The last part, of course, had been discovered when it was too late to step back. Namely when Parker posing as a prostitute herself (after Sophie had a lot of convincing to do) had found herself in a building with a Russian Mob boss breathing down her neck and no way out to be seen.

The thing was that when Garkof tried to make his not too subtle move on the thief she felt forced to react: with no fork to stab him within hand's reach, the only smart thing she came up with was kneeing him in the groin and then punching him in the face as Eliot had shown her how to do. That got him really mad and started slapping the other girl, the client's daughter, cause she seemed to be the most subdued.

That was why Eliot had to come in and try to get to the two girls, or at least give Parker time and distraction enough for her to find a way out. She actually did, dragging the other girl with herself through a very small air vent she had been eyeing the whole time. She didn't know where it would have taken her, but an air shaft, even if barely big enough for them to move, was definitely better than a crappy room with that Russian man. She hoped she could find a way out or at least a way to get as close to Eliot as possible. Both plan worked: the hitman was able to distract the men at the entrance and a couple of others that came from God knew where and Parker was able to find a way out of the building, memorizing the series of turns she did on her way out and where from the vent she could see cameras. You know, just in case they needed to get back in there.

The only problem was that even thought Eliot was great at his job, probably even the best, there was just so much he could do when facing 12 heavily built and armed Russian men. At first there were just 7 of them and he easily took out 4 or 5 of them in a matter of a couple of minutes, but then the others called for help and so he had to deal with a dozen of angry and nasty men and even he had his limits and was knocked unconscious after one hell of a fight.

That had been 6 hours ago during which they'd tried to come up with a plan to rescue Eliot, but the more they tryed the more they'd gotten angry at each other for not being able to do so. So Nate had flight back from New York to Boston to retrieve the little notebook, cursing himself for the entire length of the flight for not taking with himself every time they had a job outside Boston.

He knew who he needed to call: the first name, the woman who'd do anything to get Eliot back. But he also had to let the other members of his team know about it, cause their lives were at stake too. So he took the earpiece out of his pocket, put it in its place and spoke, silently thanking Hardison for the last upgrade of the receiving range of those damn things.

«Guys, are you there?» he asked in the empty sitting room that lately served as their conference room.

«Yeah, man» Hardison answered.

«Yes, Nathan» Sophie acknowledged him.

«Yup» Parker simply said.

«I just got back at the office for that thing I needed» he sighed. «It could be useful to get Eliot back but it can also be dangerous for us.»

They just waited for him to go on and that told him they were really worried for Eliot.

«When we decided to work together as a team, Eliot came to me and gave me a list of people to contact if we ever needed someone else with his expertise, whether it was to get him back or find a replacement for him. These are people he trusted, but he also strongly recommended one name in the eventuality we wanted him back. It's the first one and he said she'd do anything to get him back. I thought if there is someone willing to come up against the Russian Mob for us and Eliot, well that is her. Obviously, that particular notebook was lost in the explosion of our old office, but Eliot just handed me another one, without saying anything» he explained, waiting for questions or such.

«Were we supposed to make a list too? No one told me I had to make a list. I would have made a list, but I don't really have one…» Parker said worried.

«No, sweety, you didn't have to. Eliot probably just thought it would be safer since he's the one responsible for our safety, he's the one who protects us from harm» Sophie explained her, with a pang of sadness.

«Exactly» Nate agreed.

«Well, what you're waiting man? Make the call!» Hardison said.

«Yes, these were my intentions, but I needed your approval first. From all of you.»

«Of course we approve» Sophie hurried to say.

«We need Eliot back. Do what you have to» Parker said in an unusually clear way.

«Go on, man. It's a no-brainer. Make the call» Hardison said.

«Here we go» Nate whispered opening the little notebook.

«Nora» he read out, dialing the number written next to the name.

«No last name?» Sophie asked.

«None» Nate answered briefly.

«Am I the only one to think she's his girlfriend? You know, with the all "doing everything to get him back" thing» Hardison wondered.

«Maybe. Or maybe she's just a friend, like us» Sophie said, not really in the best mood for gossip.

«Shhh. It's ringing» Nate hurried them.

«Yeah» a low female voice asked from the other end, when the woman answered. Almost growled was another way to describe it.

«Hi. My name is Nathan Ford, from Boston. A common friend gave me your number in case I needed help. I hope you don't mind me calling you» he said politely.

«Listen, pal» the woman on the phone really growled this time (much like they heard Eliot do in the past so many times). «Don't know who you are, nor care. I'm finally getting a little shut eye after 72 hours of no sleeping. So this better not be some stupid prank or I swear I'll track you down and find in your ass the new place to toss my dirty boots» she threatened.

Nate could hear Hardison laughing in his ear.

«This is all very charming. But I can guarantee you this is not a prank and we are on a tight schedule. The members of the Russian Mob aren't known for their patience and we…» he started to explain only to be rudely cut off.

«Look, pal. I'm sorry. More so if you have to deal with Russians. They're no piece of cake. But I can't help you. And even if I was fool enough to want to come to your rescue and have a little funny chat with those fine men, which I don't, I couldn't help you anyway. I'm camped out in Iraq and there's no chance I can get back to the States. Sorry» she said, ready to hang up.

«Eliot said you'd do anything for him» Nate tried to argue, hoping that spilling his name would do the charm.

«Eliot? As in Eliot Spencer?» she asked, worry heavy in her tone. Apparently it had indeed done the charm.

«Yes, he's the one who gave me your name and number in case of emergency. He's being held by the Russians. They took him 6 hours ago» Nate said, hoping now that it was all on the plate she would agree.

5 long seconds of complete silence could be heard on the other end.

«I'll be in Boston in 8 hours» she coldly said at the end.

Nate was stunned. That went easily.

When she said she was in Iraq he thought it would have taken her at least a day or two to get to New York.

«Actually, he and the rest of my team are in New York right now. The job was there. I'm heading back there myself. Someone is booking me a ticket right as we speak» he said, knowing that would be enough to make Hardison start doing his magic. «May I take care of your reservations too?» he asked.

«No need. I have my own means» she said, her voice steely. «You'll pick me up at JFK Airport: I'll have the plane land there.»

For a second they all wondered what she meant with that, but they thought she'd probably take a private jet or something.

«I'll call you as soon as I'm positive about my landing time» she said, ending the call without waiting an answer or saying goodbye.

«No wonder Eliot likes her! That was like talking to him!» Hardison grinned, despite his concern.

«The moment she lands I want you to ran a check on her. Take a picture and do your magic» Nate said gloomily.

«Nathan, I don't like it as much as you do, but if Eliot trusts her the most, he must have his reasons» Sophie said, thinking the hitman had find himself a really special woman. «I trust him so I'll trust her.»

Nate was going to answer her but his phone beeping cut him short, signaling him he'd just got a new text message.

"Landing at 16.00. Your time zone. Any change I'll let you know. You do the same." The message read.

He looked at his watch: it was 9:14 AM.

He read out loud the message for the other to hear.

«Yup, totally Eliot's type. She speaks all military…» Hardison noted.

«What got me impressed, instead, is that it will only take her less than 7 hours. She really is worried» Nate answered.

«Yeah, man. You really should go to the airport or she'll land before you do. 11.00 US Airways flight from BOS to La Guardia. There was a Delta Air Lines flight at 10.30 but I didn't know if you'd be able to make it. Traffic and all. Ticket's under your John Levin's alias. Be sure you have the ID with you or I'll need to change the reservation…» Hardison told him.

Nate quickly stood up and went to check in his fake IDs drawer, searching for the one he needed. He found it after a few seconds.

«Here it is. Mr. John Alan Levin. I'm on my way to Logan.»

«See you in a couple of hours, man» Hardison said.

And with that Nate took his earpiece out, needing a little time to think.

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Please R&R...


	2. Meeting Nora

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Just playing with someone else's toys…

Thanks to all of those who read the first chapter and liked it. Even more so to those who reviewed it. :p I tried to post this chapter more than 12 hours ago, but something went wrong and it didn't show. grrr... Sometimes I really hate computers! Anyway, I really hope now it's there for everyone to read it. Sorry for the delay.  
A special thank you to those I bothered asking if they could see the chapter and to Meatball42 who came at my rescue when I was starting to freak out... hihihi

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**Chapter 2**

**Meeting Nora**

«Do you think we should write one of those sign you see in the movies?» Parker asked, her eyes wide open. The other three con artists were searching the crowd looking for this Nora.

«Yeah, and what would you write on it? "Nora, Russian Mob Fighter"?» Hardison asked, sarcasm dripping.

«No, I guess we could write Eliot's name. That way she'd know who we are …» Parker simply explained.

«How comes all of a sudden you're starting to make sense?» Hardison looked at her questioningly.

«I tend to rub off on people. That's why I never make friends» she said seriously, but he could see a small glimpse of something close to a laughter in her eyes.

What Parker came up with was actually a really good idea, but it was getting close to 4 PM and they didn't want to take a chance at the sign thing and miss her walking through the gates. The thing was, there were no flights from anyway near Iraq at that time of the day. They asked to an employee to be sure about it (thought Hardison had already hacked into their network and saw there was indeed no flight scheduled), but all they got from her was a weird and worried look. Thinking about a private jet, they checked with another employee (the first one seemed a little too suspicious) but he told them there weren't. After a little Sophie's pushing and string pulling, he quickly checked again, only to find that there was a military air shipment from Iraq at 4 o'clock. Sophie even got him to point them which was the gate she was disembarking.

«Though with soldiers you're never sure» he added while they were starting to move towards the gate.

They all thought for a moment at those words: a soldier? Could she really be a soldier? They knew she sounded like one, but they thought it depended on something from her past.

When at 4 o'clock (or as she'd say, 16.00) a young short though muscular woman came through the gate with her Military Issued clothing and a hunter green duffle bag slouched on her right shoulder, they had no doubt that was her and that she was definitely a soldier.

She came straight to them, holding out her hand towards Nate.

«Mr. Ford» she quickly greeted and nobody wondered how she knew it was him. She seemed the kind of person who just knew things.

That and they were too busy staring. In her late twenties, she was short, barely 5.5 feet, her body obviously built from many years of practice and fighting. Broad shoulders, well toned arms and muscled legs like those of a runner, she was fitted for her job the way Parker was fitted for hers. Only their jobs were very different, as they were their bodies (both in terms of height or curves). Nora's hair was dark red, wavy but very short, with a few long strands only on the left side of the fringe that almost reached her chin and that could have easily hidden half of her face if her hair wasn't tucked behind one ear at the moment.

But what got them really staring were her eyes: ice blue, the same color and shape the whole team saw every time they looked at Eliot.

In front of them, just landed from a 7 hours flight from Iraq, didn't stand Eliot's girlfriend, friend or old comrade-in-arms. That was his sister. Or cousin. Or whatever. They ruled out her being his daughter cause she was far too old for that: she couldn't be more than 6 or 7 years younger than him. But there was definitely some Spencer's (or whichever Eliot's true last name was) blood in her.

And the look in her eyes was the one they knew all too well with Eliot, the one that said "I'm gonna kill anybody who stands in the way between me and my goal".

And being her goal to free her brother (or cousin or whatever) they couldn't find anything wrong with that look.

Once they got to Nate's place, they went through quick introductions. Nora only requested to know their names and expertise. She would have probably deemed their names futile if she didn't need them to address to them during the retrieving mission. She showed a little bit of surprise when they told her that they had been working several cases together as a team, probably not used to hearing "Eliot" and "team" in the same sentence without "killed" in between. But she got over that pretty quickly, as in two-seconds-quickly, and went back at her main goal. They noted she always spoke of Eliot using his full name, no nicknames, no "my brother" or "my big bro". Nothing. Either they were seriously wrong or the two of them didn't really like to show their affection in public.

She sat on one of the armchairs and quietly heard the entire story, asking smart questions but not really saying more than she strictly needed. Hardison, sitting on the other one and staying as far away from the soldier as the sitting room allowed, had spent the morning retrieving the blueprints of the building Eliot was being held in and now was proudly showing them, stating that it took him 3 hours to dig them out.

«You didn't already have those before you went in?» Nora asked surprised, leaning towards the coffee table where the blueprints were spread.

«No» Nate answered from his side of the sofa near Hardison before the hacker had the chance to speak. «We didn't know who was the client. We ran our checks but when Parker and Camille, the client's daughter, entered the building we thought it was your usual perv. Otherwise we wouldn't have sent Parker in without a suitable back up.»

«I see» Nora nodded, but the look on her face told she actually didn't. «Anyway, as it seems, Parker was lucky enough to find the only way in and out, other than the main entrance.»

«I don't do luck. I scan every room the moment I walk in it. Always know your way out» the blond thief protested, sulking deeper in her side of the couch, the one nearer the soldier. Sophie and Nate quickly registered that there was a hint of guilt in her tone. Hardison obviously didn't.

«So, Eliot stormed through the front door hero style while you find your way out. Then what happened?»

«They were just too many. Probably too heavily armed. We don't know» Nate answered.

«The only thing we manage to hear» Hardison cut in «was him saying "Shit, I hate Mobsters" followed by the usual scary noises of a fight. Ok, one hell of a fight. Then, nothing other than a lot of thick yet unidentified Russian ranting. But we know he's alive cause after a couple of hours, probably when he'd regained consciousness, we heard Eliot asking if Parker made it. We said we were ok but then the signal was lost. We think that's when they found the earpiece.»

«Yeah, well… What Eliot did was a suicidal attack: busting through the front door and having to face all of them on his own was obviously too much to handle for him. But he knew that was a chance. He made a choice and I guess he knew what he was doing» Nora said eyeing Parker, no hint of anger towards her cause she knew it wasn't her fault. If only _she_ got that. The soldier glanced at her for another couple of seconds, maybe trying to convey that thought in her stare, maybe not, but then her attention went back at the blueprints. Her eyes wandered through them inch by inch, noting every hallway and every room, probably printing them in her mind.

«What I need is a smart diversion» she explained at the end. «Something well planned that can make them split, so I can take care of them in a reasonable amount of time. If Eliot couldn't face them all I sure can't.»

«We can give you that» Nate assured her.

«I have the perfect idea and I only need a little bit of C4 from my personal stash» Parker explained in her dry tone.

«C4? You have a personal stash of C4? And you want to use it?» Nora asked dumbfounded.

«Yup. Unless you have some and you want to share it!»

That really got Nora. She fumbled with words for a sec, lips moving but no words really spoken.

«I think I'll get a rain check on that one» she finally spoke.

«Let's hope in a sunny day, then» Parker remarked casually.

Norah stared at her trying to decide whether the other woman was really that weird or she was just playing dumb. Not really getting anywhere with that matter, she went back to the blueprints, her expression giving nothing away.

The team had already told her what they could do, so now she was trying to come up with a plan. Nate offered to deal with that for her, but she just shrugged it off, groaning something about her always doing her own planning. She was used at thinking quickly: her life often depended on that. Right now, putting together the pieces of information they gave her, she realized there was only one chance.

This time she checked the blueprints for all the possible places those guys could be holding Eliot prisoner, all the hiding spots she could find, all the things she might need to know once inside.

Meanwhile, none of the others had yet the guts to ask her about her relationship with the hitman, not even Parker. To them it was quite obvious she was related to him somehow, but since she didn't introduce herself properly there was no way to know for sure. Not even Hardison quick check had helped: running her picture through the FBI, CIA and Interpol Facial Recognition Database was totally useless, cause she wasn't in any of them. Then again, neither was Eliot. But since she was a soldier, he thought she should have been in there somewhere. What he didn't consider was that there were secret branches and divisions those databases didn't have info about. Which got him scared. Well, even more scared.

«Ms. Devereaux, can you speak Russian?» Nora asked out of the blue, turning towards Sophie, who the entire time had been standing behind the sofa.

«Call me Sophie. And yes, I'm good with languages, why?»

«Oh, I don't know. Just for the kicks of it!» Nora mocked her. «You sure you have a decent accent?»

Sophie's answer was in Russian and it didn't take a genius or a linguist to know she wasn't very happy with the way the other woman had been addressing to her. The rest of the team, though, would have needed one to realize she was speaking with a Moscow accent.

Nora grinned. Yes, she dared grinning at a pissed off Sophie and that got Hardison, who was already pretty scared, worried. Worried cause no sane person would dare to grin at a pissed off Sophie. Yet again, this here was one hell of a fighter, so maybe she wasn't that impressed by Sophie's glare.

«Sorry» the soldier finally said. «I just needed to be sure your accent would withstand pressure and sensitive situations. Cheer up, you passed!»

Even Parker, not the greatest expert in reading people, could tell Sophie wasn't going to "cheer up" any time soon. Nate breathed in and out a couple of times, thinking this was to get Eliot out of there. That maybe _that woman_ was just really worried for her brother/cousin/whatever and it was just her way not to mull over that one too much. He knew pretty well that people faced pain and grief in weird ways sometimes.

Nora crossed her arms on her chest, a small smile ghosting her lips. Once again the resemblance with Eliot was right there for anyone to see: it was his "oh, I have some serious ass kicking to do and I'm gonna love it" smile.

«I have a plan» she said. «We need to access the security footage cause we won't have the time to search every single room on every single floor. We need Parker to go back in from the same air shaft she used last time.»

She then turned to Hardison (who couldn't help but retreat in his seat a bit) and addressed to him.

«I suppose you can fix us with an accessing device that can break into the net of cameras just attaching it to one of them, right?»

The young man stared at her for just a split second, considering how Eliot didn't know what the nerd was talking about most of the time while his sister/cousin/whatever seemed quite well versed in that subject.

«Yeah, sure. It's quite simple. We, well mostly I, just need to…» he started to explain, only to be cut off by the woman.

«Do I really need to know? Cause we don't have all day and I'd like to have Eliot back before midnight!» she said but not with the exasperation you would usually expect when dealing Hardison.

The hacker, his hopes about finding someone at least slightly nerdy quickly crashed, was about to complain about her rudeness but then realized it was probably just her concern for Eliot what made her act like that. So he just settled for a shrug.

«Good. Parker will just have to find a camera and put that thing on it. On the roof of one of the nearby buildings, Nathan will try to locate guards and maybe even Eliot using my night vision binoculars with heat scanner. In the mean time Sophie will distract some of the guards at the front door, where there's probably going to be the surveillance monitors. But the moment you sense something is off, you run the hell out of it. All I need from you is to distract them enough for me to get to the elevator. From there I'll get to the right floor and I'll go and fetch Eliot unnoticed, even if I have to slay my way to him and out of there. But by then you'll have to be already long gone, so you'd better carefully plan your timing. That's up to you, as it is what to do. Sweet talk them, seduce them, do your magic and everything you can to divert their attention from the roof and the top floor. That's my way in» she explained.

«That's impossible» Nate said stating the obvious. «We already considered the roof, but that building is taller than those which surround it. There's no chance to break in from there…» he added looking at Parker who said more or less the same words only a few hours before.

«Yeah. I tried to find an access, but there's just no way I, or anybody else for the matter, can set foot on that roof from the outside.»

«Sky diving» Nora explained shortly.

«Sky-??» Hardison asked.

«Yep. Black ops tactical gear: undetectable. No one will be able to see me against the black sky. And I'll free the parachute before I land: the wind will blow it away and I won't waste time putting it back. While I do that I need Hardison to piece together all the information we gather and find out where Eliot is. Sophie will still be busy with the Russians and Parker will be heading out.»

The other 4 people in the room just stared at her: when Eliot had said "she'd do anything to get me back" he really meant it.

«We can do that» Nate said.

A vibrant silence surrounded them until Parker broke it.

«Can I go sky diving with you?» she asked.

«Maybe another day, uh?» Nora told her.

«Mmm. Am I the only one here wondering who's the pilot and which is the plane you'll jump from?» Hardison asked.

«I have a friend» she simply stated.

«Just like that?» he inquired.

«Just like that. Piece of cake…» she said, but at those words her mood visibly changed.

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Please R&R

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	3. Getting to Know the Team

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Just my dreams.

Well, guys. Here we go. Third chapter.  
I considered splitting it in two different parts, but it just didn't work. So, this one is a bit (ok, a lot) longer than the others, hope you don't mind! :)

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**Chapter ****3**

**Getting ****To Know The Team**

Sophie had always prized her ability to read people. I mean, her life and work depended on that skill. But she knew that some people were easier to read than others and the members of her team were a good example of that simple fact. She could read Hardison like an open book, his face always showing what he was thinking and feeling, though she had to admit that lately he had started hiding it more and more. "He who lives with the cripples learn to limp" they say. She guessed that applied even for deceivers.

Nathan was a little more complicated, but not that much. She knew him and knew how his mind worked, but sometimes her skills were a little weakened by her affection for him. As they say, love can make you blind.

Parker was far too unpredictable and impulsive to be able to read her properly: all she could do was getting glimpses of her. But that was ok. CAuse, seriously, having a better insight into her thoughts sounded really scary.

Eliot, instead, she couldn't read him because he simply didn't allowed her. He always put this mask on that never showed much of what was happening under it. Sometimes, she could get a peek here and a hint there, thanks to the way his eyes seemed to be holding inside emotions too strong to be hidden completely. Or sometimes he was just too tired to keep that mask on, but those times were rare and sporadic. Like with the MMA job. But she was getting used to his ways and was starting to understand him in ways he probably even didn't know. Or liked. Now she could translate little things like a fist suddenly clutching, or a jaw clenching slightly, or a flicker in his eyes. Little clues about something huge kept at bay to protect himself from the others.

So when she saw Nora's sudden change of mood, her arms tightly crossed on her chest, Sophie realized something was wrong with her and she was trying hard not to let them know about it, putting on the same mask she saw so many times on Eliot's face.

«Nora, what if I show you our restroom so you can freshen up a little bit while we discuss the cover I'm going to use?» she asked to the soldier.

She might not have liked the way she'd treated her a few minutes ago, testing her knowledge of Russian language, but after she had winded down enough to realize that she actually meant no harm, she started to consider whether or not she liked the other woman. Having been around con artists and thieves all of her life she had come to appreciate and respect straightforwardness and Nora didn't seem the kind of person to sugar coat you anything. Especially the truth. Of course that didn't make her an easy person to work or live with. So maybe Sophie's verdict on her was still pending. But whether she liked her or not, she felt for her and she could tell she seemed to be in need of a little time alone.

Nora visibly considered for a second what to do, as if being alone wasn't such an appealing idea, but then nodded her thanks and quickly stood up. She joined Sophie in the hallway and grabbed the duffle bag she had discarded a couple of hours before at her arrival and took it with her.

«Shampoo, soap, towels and everything you might need are in the cupboard » Sophie assured her, escorting her to the restroom.

«Thank you» the soldier said and the intensity of her tone spoke for her the words she didn't seem to be able to get out.

«You looked like you needed a little time away from Hardison and Parker» Sophie joked. «They tend to be a lot to handle, especially the first time you meet them. Just take your time and don't worry.»

The grifter was about to turn around and leave the room when something inside her, she didn't exactly know what, made her add something after an heartbeat.

«We are going to get him out of there.»

Nora stared at her for a second and then grinned.

«I thought I was the one supposed to assure you about that» she joked.

«I think we all need a little reassurance from time to time» Sophie told her smiling and with that she let herself out of the room.

Once alone, Nora quickly got rid of her creased and sweaty shirt and slacks and tucked her hair behind a ear. She stood in only her underwear staring into the mirror for few seconds lost in her thoughts. That was how Parker found her when she waltzed inside, without bothering to knock.

The soldier barely looked at her: she had heard her lingering for only a second outside the door before she silently turned the knob and the military life had long ago get her used to the lack of privacy. And she wasn't ashamed of the scars on her back either: they were just another part of her, something that helped shaping her into the person she was now. So she didn't bother putting something on. No, what really disturbed her was the fact that Sophie had just left and she didn't even had a full minute of silence and peace to clear her head and come to terms with what she felt before someone else was coming in.

«What is it?» she asked, guessing the blond thief needed something from her.

«Nothing» she answered.

«Ok, then. If you don't mind I'd like to take a shower, so…» she motioned for her to leave the room. Not that it really mattered, she was used to shower in front of other women (sometimes even men when there weren't other chances), but there was something about this particular woman that didn't match up with her and she knew she wouldn't feel very comfortable turning her back at her and not being able to follow her every move. Her sticky fingers wasn't really a problem (thought she'd miss a couple of the things she had in the duffle bag), but her fascination with C4 definitely was. And having to storm out of the room in nothing else than her birth suit and shampoo cause a bomb was about to go off in the shower box or in the toilet tank wasn't exactly her favorite idea of having five minutes to herself.

«I just wanted to tell you that Eliot's favorite conditioner is in the top shelf, hidden behind his shaving cream and a sharp knife. He doesn't want us to know about it but I found out months ago.»

«Thanks, I guess» she answered unsure of what she was supposed to say to that. Knowing how Eliot didn't like people knowing about the care he put in his hair, "good job" would probably be a good choice. "Run for your life cause the moment he finds out you're dead" was another one. A very helpful one.

«I just figured, since your hair seems as wavy as his, it might work for you too» Parker explained. That was the first time one of them had implied, even remotely, she was related to him.

«Uhm, ok…» Nora said again, deciding not to take the hint.

«Well, see you later» Parker said finally, leaving the room.

The soldier grinned, obviously knowing where those words were trying to get, tossed her remaining clothes to the floor and grabbed a towel and Eliot's showering items, grinning at the citrus scented shampoo. Some things never seemed to change.

She stepped into the shower and started getting rid of sweat, desert dust, tension and concern.

Or at least she tried.

Outside, in the sitting room, Hardison was waiting for Parker, wherever she disappeared to, in order to start sharing the news he gathered, or lack of it.

«I'm telling you, man. That woman in there, she's seriously messed up, a real piece of work. I mean, there's no mention about her in anywhere. Not with the Army, the Navy, the FBI, the CIA, or the Interpol. I even checked the frickin' NSA, knowing it couldn't be, cause she was in Iraq» Hardison explained, the wallscreen only showing the homepages of those websites. «You know me, just give me a name and I dig out all the dirt. But this time, nothing. Nada. Nix. Zilch. If I learned something in these years of misdeeds is that for everything there's a record. But if you're a badass with military training and I can't find anything about you, chances are there's some serious covering up going on.»

«Didn't you find anything related to her in Eliot's file?» Nate asked.

«Well, man. Considering that Eliot's file is pretty much only made of the pieces of information he felt confident enough to share, which you'll be very surprised to know ain't many, there was no chance I was going to find her in there. And I didn't. I mean, there's no reference in there about his family. Heck, although he's been using it for a while, we're not even sure if Spencer it's his real last name! Cause knowing him, I seriously doubt it!»

«We all have our different aliases, keeping our real names for ourselves…» Sophie agreed.

«Well, I don't. My name is really Alec Hardison. Then again, Hardison is Nana's last name and I didn't even remember what it was before that… And it's not only me, Nate too. Last time I checked that's his real name!»

«I don't have a last name…» Parker said to no one exactly.

Hardison looked at her exasperated, like she wasn't really helping him. He wanted to say something but came to a halt when he saw Nora, her new clothes matching the old ones, quietly making her way out of the bathroom into the hallway and then the sitting room.

«Am I interrupting something?» she asked, stepping into the room.

«Nope, nothing. Just chit chatting a bit» Hardison answered nervously.

«Yeah, sure» she said not fooled by his shaky cover. «Listen guys, I need a time for our break-in cause the pilot will want to know when we'll need to take off»

«What did you have in mind?» Nate asked her while she sat down.

«22.00. It's the perfect moment. Not too late, nor too soon. If they think someone is going to try and free Eliot, they'll expect it's going to be tonight, but the roof is a safe bet. Parker's way in and out would be safer with a back up but we're a man short. No chance you'll let me involve a third party, right?»

«Only if it's strictly and absolutely necessary…» Nate said, thinking at the other names on Eliot's list.

«Nonsense. I don't need back up. I'm perfectly capable to get in and out unnoticed» Parker cut short.

«What if someone's waiting for you outside, at the end of the air shaft?» Nora inquired.

«I have a gun and I know how to use it. And Eliot did teach me some things…» she grinned thinking about the lessons he gave her only a couple of weeks before. She had asked him to do so when he showed how MMA's athletes fought.

«Well, I guess I'll just have to make it work this way» Nora nodded grinning: she knew first hand that Eliot's self defense lessons were about keeping enemies at bay long enough to get away. «I just think Hardison's van should be parked in the alley the shaft ends in. This way he'll be able to at least know if someone is there waiting for Parker…»

«I can do that. I mean, I may not be very good at the all fighting thing, but that much I can do. That and punching the wounded. That's my thing, Eliot knows it…» the hacker muttered grinning.

«Rambling again» Parker told him.

«22.00 it is then» Nora cut in, taking her cell out of her pocket. « Oh, what about the device Hardison? How long will it take you to make it?»

«I have one that will be perfect. I just need to modify it a little. It will take 5 minutes to have it ready...» he said grinning, not even considering leaving the comfort of his armchair just now. At Nora's stare, though, he felt the sudden and compelling need to start working on that device asap.

«Well, while Hardison is working on that one, what about a quick dinner? We have some time to kill. But first, I have a phone call to make…»

While she walked into the hallway to call whoever she needed to call, Hardison, who was heading the same way to grab the device he had to work on, stopped and turned to Nate.

«22.00… It's 10 pm, right?» he asked.

«Yes. Now, let's talk about Sophie's cover. We need to find something that could distract them for a few minutes without rising too many questions…» Nate said.

At that Hardison set down again, knowing he might be needed for this. He decided that the device could wait another couple of minutes: Nora was busy planning a flight over the city and he was sure that would take her enough time for him to be long done with the device.

«What about that poor girl?» Sophie considered. «She was beaten up from that awful man and now her face is one big nasty bruise. If we hadn't been there, now she would be nursing her black eyes, bruised cheeks and swollen lips in that dreadful place. What about me posing as her pissed off Madame, came to complain about the way her girls were treated?»

«I don't think that's wise. We don't know how well Garkof and his men know Tylor's gang» Nate argued.

«No, we don't. But that's not really the point» she explained. «We know Taylor organization and we know there's no such thing as a madame. So we make one up. And if Garkof or his men in those few minutes get suspicious, well, I'll just have to tell them I am Taylor's associate, the one managing the girls. I'll just go there and yell at him because he messed up my most lucrative assets and he has to pay me back for my lost earnings. Or something like that. I'll improvise. I do love to improvise!»

«Yeah! And Sophie won't have to stay in there long» Hardison cut in. «I mean, once we break into the surveillance we just need to distract the guards long enough for me to put the cameras on loop without them noticing it. This way Nora will be able to walk around freely and do her thing, only worrying about the guys she'll meet on her way. And checking the cameras I can easily tell her where to go to avoid them, right?!»

Nate finally had to give up, knowing it probably was the best idea they could come up with anyway.

In the hallway, as far from the sitting room as it was possible to avoid disturbing the team, Nora called her pilot friend and needed less than 30 seconds to have him doing this for her. She didn't even have to play the "You owe it to Eliot" card.

She told him what her plan was, why she needed a helicopter to drop her off on a precise spot in New York. And when he said she was crazy, she took it as a compliment: she knew she wasn't exactly your average girl and that her crazier plans were usually the best ones. Maybe not the safest, but undoubtedly the best.

She got off the phone and lingered at one of the windows, looking at the twilight sky, thinking back at the last rushed hours and at the several things that had happened. But she was more than positive that the worst was yet to come. Sighing quietly she went back to the sitting room, where no one seemingly had moved, and stood behind the back of the couch.

«You done yet?» she asked Hardison, spotting him in the armchair.

«Well… No… I was… Nate said… We… I…» Hardison tried to came up with something. He felt like he was back in high school, without his homeworks and with a dreadful teacher asking for them. Only this time the teacher probably knew 100 different ways to kill him. Only using her thumb.

«We came up with a cover for Sophie» Nate explained her, saving Hardison from his pained research for an excuse. «She'll pose as the madame who comes complaining about the way her girls were treated…»

Nora stopped to think for just a second.

«Guess that's the best we can come up with…» she nodded at the end. «Just try to remember those people only see their girls as money incomes. So, as long as you keep it about the money you won't have problems. And you'll need to come up with an explanation for Parker's behavior pronto. And maybe even one for Eliot's.»

Sophie agreed with her: she'd already thought about that and had a couple of ideas for that.

«Good… Now, what about those dinner plans?» the soldier asked.

Hardison quickly looked away: the only thing he could do was heating frozen food in the microwave. And sometimes he even messed that up. Parker didn't even bother to excuse herself from kitchen duties cause everybody knew she'd probably end up blasting the entire building. One blown up office was more than enough.

Nate and Sophie just stared at each other, sharing the same sad thought: when they didn't order in, Eliot was the one doing all the cooking.

«Oh, I get it. You all can't cook. Let me guess: Eliot was the only one using the kitchen for something more than making a cup of coffee or tea. Or hiding your private stash of snacks…» she said, surprising them all with the first laughter they'd heard from her.

«Yeah, well… I can manage some mean microwave heated frozen hot pockets…» Hardison felt compelled to say.

«Ok, what about ordering in?» Nora asked. «Cause I myself can barely boil an egg…»

Sophie smiled but quickly covered it with her hand. That didn't really sound like Eliot. He even grew his own vegetables for god's sake!

«Ordering in sounds wonderful. What would you like to eat?» Sophie asked.

«Oh, don't worry about me. I was able to survive 2 months only feeding on MREs: you can't do worse than that. Well, my cooking aside, of course…»

«Two months eating only MREs?! Where were you? In some underground bunker?» Hardison asked, more out of curiosity than sympathy.

«Nope. Had a couple of months of recovery after some bad injuries and I spent the whole time locked up in a cabin in the mountains I stashed up with those things just in case. I didn't bother to cook cause the results would have been bad anyway. But thanks to those two months, now I can eat almost anything» Nora laughed.

«I bet. I read somewhere MREs are really gross…» Hardison went on.

«Not gonna argue with that» she nodded grinning at some memory just occurred. «Oh, by the way. If you ever happen to have to actually eat them, stay the hell away from the crackers, unless you're ready to spend a couple of hours in the latrine. Same goes for the Chicken fajitas meal: it tastes foul…»

«Well, what about a pizza?» Sophie cut in, worried where that conversation could end up.

She watched the others closely for their reactions, knowing for sure Hardison wouldn't mind.

«Sounds good to me» Nora answered, back at her serious self.

Hardison, as expected, gave his thumbs up joyfully while Parker nodded absentmindedly. Nathan just shrugged his lack of interest in anything dinner-related and kept studying Nora as he had been doing the last few minutes, perhaps taking advantage of the way she had seemed to open up and relax now that all the planning was done.

«Pizza it is then» Sophie stated. «Nora, normally we order a pepperoni mushrooms and a tomato mozzarella. Is it ok with you?»

«It's perfect. I'll stick with Eliot's healthy choice: tomato mozzarella pizza for me» Nora said with a little grin.

Nobody wondered how she knew which was Eliot's choice.

«I'll make the call» Nathan offered, standing up from the couch.

«Thank you. And Hardison here should get started with that device or we'll have to delay the mission till he's done with it…» the soldier suggested with a death glare, but Sophie could tell she was just mocking the hacker for his obvious fear of her.

Who didn't realize she was joking was Hardison: he jumped out of the armchair and stormed out to grab the device and the tools he'd need from the cabinet in the hallway he stashed his stuff into.

Waiting for the pizzas to arrive (the guy on the phone said they would have delivered them in half an hour), they all set around the kitchen table where Hardison had room and light enough to easily work on his device. Nora took the night vision binoculars out of her bag and gave it to Nate to show him how to use them and how to turn on the heat scanner. Parker silently watched every move the soldier made, every switch she turned on, mentally taking note of all she said.

Sophie, sipping a cup of tea to calm her nerves, silently surveyed what happened around the table, reminding herself to keep an eye on the binoculars in case Parker decided she'd like to have a closer look to them. She also noticed how every couple of minutes Nora would steal a glance at Hardison's work, as making sure he was doing the right things. Either she knew more than she let on about technology or she was used to check on every single step of the preparations for a mission. Like every good team leader should do. A sudden realization struck her: Nora had her own team and she was its leader. She even said something about doing her own planning.

She was dwelling on the potential repercussions of that discovery when the doorbell rang. The pizzas were there.

Munching their food the team even found the courage to ask Nora something about her relationship with Eliot, nothing straightforward, but still.

«So, do you and Eliot see each other often?» Sophie asked, trying not to be too obvious with her nosiness.

«Mmm… No, not at all» Nora answered, taking a sip from her glass of water and considering what she could safely say. «Heck, it's been more than three years since the last time I saw him! I didn't even know he had found himself a steady team. He used to mock me about mine all the time, I guess he just changed his mind!»

«So, you didn't keep in touch?» Sophie dug deeper, silently noting she was right about her having her own team.

«Eliot's not really the type to call to check in, ain't him?» Nora grinned and avoided answering the unspoken question about why they didn't keep in touch.

Parker laughed out loudly, in a slightly creepy way that had Nora staring for just a second.

«What?» Hardison dared to ask to the blond thief.

«I was just picturing Eliot calling every day to check on his… friends» she was about to say "sister", but seeing the warning glances the rest of the team were addressing to her, she changed her mind. Parker's dangerous slip caused the room to suddenly fall in an uncomfortable silence, that Hardison felt compelled to break.

«Yep, totally out of character. Can't picture him doing that!» he said tentatively.

«Oh, I don't know… He could be pretty protective with his friends» Nora said with a knowing smile. «Just consider what he did with the Russians…»

«I guess you're right. You probably know him better than we do, anyway» Sophie said.

«Oh, I wouldn't really say that. Eliot…» Nora said, staring into space. «Well, he's a complicated man and you have a lot of digging to do to even start to know him. I used to laugh with him about him being like an onion. Maybe unpleasant at first sight, but with a lot of different layers you have to peel off…»

«Yep, our own personal Shrek… A lot less green and tall…» Hardison laughed.

His laughter was soon followed by Parker's hysteric one: the hacker made her watch the movie a couple of months ago and she had found the strange story of a princess saved by an ogre really refreshing. That was the kind of fairy tale she would have loved to listen to as a child.

«Well, kids. I think it's time for us to clean up a little bit and then start to get ready, it's already 7.45…» Nate said rising from his chair and starting to gather the plates, the glasses and the silverware.

The moment he did so, Hardison excused himself uttering something about checking on his equipment for the mission, quickly followed by Parker who simply strolled away and followed him.

Sophie sighed at their antics and started helping Nate, but Nora noticed she didn't really seem to mind. The soldier stood up, moving to help them, but the couple declined saying they'd only need to put everything in the dishwasher. Nora took it as her cue to leave them alone and went to check her duffle bag to make sure her guns and props were still in there: she hoped Parker hadn't helped herself with any of that because they were going to need them now. Satisfied that everything was where she left it (even though she was quite sure Parker had searched her bag cause the soldier had put her knife on top of the guns but now it was under them), she grabbed her black gear and went into the bathroom to change into it.

Once she was fully clad in black, she pulled a black wool hat over her hair and stared at her reflection in the mirror for a minute.

«I'm coming to get you, El. I'm coming to get you» she whispered, her voice thick with unspoken emotions she only now allowed herself to let go, in the privacy of a small bathroom in a house with people she didn't know but who trusted her enough to ask her to save Eliot.

And that she trusted enough to let them help her doing that.

* * *

_Hope you liked the mingling parts...At first I wanted Nora to be detached from the team but sometimes characters just do what they want and leave you to deal with details. hihihi  
__So, I noticed how there's not much Eliot in this story, even if it's all about rescuing him. I actually wrote Sophie's remarks at the biginning bacause of that, but it's not much. So, all the Eliot's fan (like me) will be glad to know that the next chapter opens with him. But I need to work on the next one a little more, cause seriously... Either I overdo my fighting scene or I barely descibe anything. I'm trying to find the right middle-road here. I've already rewritten it 3 times, now. And then I have to start the next chapter to see if everything works smoothly. That's why it might take me at least three or four days to post chapter 4.  
Sorry, I'll do my best to post it by saturday. Especially if you guys keep on showing me you like this story. Thanks for the reviews so far!_

_R&R please_


	4. Break & Enter

Disclaimer: Same old story… Don't own anything.

First thing first, thanks for the feedback, guys. I love having reviews and seeing your reactions to what I wrote. Hihihi

About this new chapter.

It was tough. For more than one reason. Mostly for the attack during which 6 Italian soldiers died few days ago. So, yeah… I wasn't really in the right mood to write about violence.

But I promised it would have been posted by Saturday so here I am. Even longer than the last one...

2 more chapters (last chapter + epilogue] and we're done.

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* * *

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**Chapter ****4**

**B****reak & Enter**

Eliot, tied to a chair and seriously wounded, was fighting hard to stay conscious, knowing that outside the sun was already set. If the team was going to try to get him out of there, there was a good chance it would be now that it was dark and less folks were in the building. He knew his people, they'd been working together for a while now, so he was quite sure about what to expect. Hardison was probably going to cut the power while Parker got to him through the air shaft she used to run away the day before.

Thing is, he wasn't in the same room. Heck, for all he knew he wasn't even on the same floor. But Hardison would probably do one of his stunts, breaking into the security footage and find him before he cut the power.

It could work. Sure, Parker would have to find him in the dark, but she could pull that off no sweat. He'd seen her do crazier (and more difficult) stuff in the past. The real problem was that going out would be a lot harder and they would probably need to fight their way towards the door (no way he could crawl into the air vent with her) and he was in no shape to do that, since he was barely conscious.

He was alive though and that was really something to be grateful for. I mean, he really thought they'd just put a bullet into his brain after they had captured him. But he didn't consider that those mobsters didn't know what he came for and who he was. He could have been a cop, looking for clues for a case. He could have been the girls' pimp trying to get to them in time to save them from the beatings. Or he could have just been a rival, looking for revenge for something this guys had done.

No matter what they thought, he was still alive and kicking (or potentially kicking, since he was still bounded to that damn chair and deeply wounded) and was far from complaining for that.

He tried to focus and get a little rest now that his torturers had given him a little break. Of course, being tied up to a chair and not having had any chance to move his legs or arms in the last 20 hours or so, resting was pretty much impossible. And having the two mobsters who've beaten him into a pulp still in the room with him didn't help at all.

He breathed as deep as his bruised ribs (cause he still hoped they were only bruised and not broken) allowed him and repeated the action a couple of times, the fog in his head thinning out a bit. That's when he heard it: the unmistakable noises of a fight. Of one hell of a fight. The two Russians didn't seem to notice, though. Who the heck was in the hallway, outside the room he started to call "his cell" more or less 20 hours before?!

* * *

_2__0 minutes before_

«Ok, guys. It's 22.00. Time for our little show. Everybody's in position?» she asked over the com.

She had insisted they left Nate's place at 9 pm (or 21.00 as she said) and reached the building Eliot was kept in driving different cars. Nate and Sophie used the BMW they rented before the job went south and that the grifter was going to drive and park outside the main entrance as she did her big entry. Hardison and Parker instead droved the usual black unmarked van they use for surveillance. Nora departed from them just outside Nate's place when a black SUV slowed down just enough to let her in, but without really coming to a halt. She told them she had someone to take her to the helicopter and that she would have contacted them after the take off. And that what she'd just done.

Nate was the first one to answer her question.

«Yes, I'm on the roof of the opposite building, keeping an eye on the mark» he said.

«And Parker and I are in the van, in the alley where she's going to break in» Hardison explained.

«And I'm in the car just around the corner, ready to drive there» Sophie said. She was less than a quarter of mile away, so it would take her less than a minute to reach the building.

«Ok. Sorry, guys. Not used to the lack of code names, yet» Nora answered. «Ok, I'm 10 minutes to the drop zone. Parker, break in.»

«With joy» the blond thief said back.

Parker slipped out from the van, quickly fading into the deep shadows of the dark alley. She quickly removed the protective grid and crawled into the air shaft, moving silently and efficiently through the many turns, knowing where she needed to go. The day before, on her way out, she memorized the location of several cameras and remembered how one of them was particularly close to one of the air vents. She got there, and watched carefully through the vent if there was anyone around and then quickly remove the grid. She took the little device Hardison provided and followed the tips he'd given her about how to install it. It was rather simple and in a matter of 5 seconds she was ready to put the grid back in its place.

«Device attached» she whispered, knowing it would be loud enough for the rest of the team to hear it.

«Device activated. Guys, we're in» Hardison told the others, while he typed on his keyboard to quickly go through the different cameras.

«Well done, Parker. Now, get the hell out» Nora said.

«On my way» the thief answered, already half way through the retreating path.

«Nathan, talk to me. What do you see?» the soldier asked, while checking for the last time her gear for the mission: her drop zone was approaching fast.

«I have seven men on the ground floor, with two of them at the entrance. There's a lot of heat there, so I guess that's where the surveillance monitors are» Nate described what he saw through the binoculars. «The top floors are clear, but I have six men in the basement.»

«Yeah, I see most of them» Hardison said, before Nora could answer. «Two on ground floor are scattered around, doing their rounds alone and another one is by the elevator doors. Then there are the two checking the surveillance monitors. But we're out of luck: they have their eyes glued to those monitors. Here it dies my movie induced belief about European men always watching a soccer match while on surveillance duty. It would have been so easy to loop the cameras without them noticing that way…»

«Hardison, focus!» Nora scolded him.

«Uh, sorry. I wasn't… I mean…» the hacker mumbled.

«Hardison…» she warned him.

«Yeah, I get it» he told her, knowing they were on thigh schedule. «Well, our bad luck doesn't end there: I can't see the other two on ground floor. And I only have three men in the basement: the one by the elevator doors and other two outside a room. But I don't have cameras inside that room.»

«Eliot's in there with two guards. That are the three people missing from our count on that floor» Nora said steely. «Nathan, what about those two on ground floor? Where are they?»

«They're in the same position they were before, somewhere in the northeast corner. Can't really make out much more than that…» Nate answered.

«That could be the room I was in yesterday. Maybe they're guarding the air vent I escaped through, thinking we might get inside from there.»

«Yeah, it sounds reasonable. Ok, guys I'm almost there. Hardison, any camera on the roof?» Nora asked.

«Yeah, one. And I'm ready to put on loop that one and those between the roof door and the elevator. I can't do the same with those in the basement cause the guards are in the frame» Hardison said.

«Ok, don't frat. I'll take care of those men. You just need to be ready to send those cameras on loop recording at least 5 minutes of footage. That way when the guards will be back in front of the monitors they won't notice something's amiss. Oh, and pay attention to cigarettes and stuff, ok? Make sure it's believable» Nora said, eyeing the pilot signaling two minutes to the drop point.

«Ehi! I know how to do my job, thank you very much!» Hardison complained.

«I don't doubt that, but there can be no mistakes» she told him. «Ok, guys. I'm approaching the drop zone. Sophie, it's up to you. I'll reach the roof in about three minutes.»

The timing was crucial: the grifter needed to get the guards away from those monitors before Nora would land on the roof, allowing Hardison to put the cameras on loop, and then stick around until Nora would reach Eliot. But she couldn't go there too soon or she would have to stay in there too long, risking to blow up her shaky cover.

«Here we go» Sophie said, driving the expensive car the rest of the way to the building. It took her less than 30 seconds.

Once there, she came to a halt and stepped out. Walking to the front door, she started tapping on the glass to draw the guards' attention.

She was clad in a very expensive yet somewhat vulgar cherry red dress she thought would be perfect for a madame. It showed a good amount of legs and cleavage and was paired with jewelry and high hills.

When one of the guards came to open the locked door, she smiled at him seductively.

«Hi. I'm Starla. I work with Mr. Taylor. I need to see your boss» she said in her sweetest tone. They've decided that speaking in Russian wasn't necessary.

«Gargof didn't ask for hooker tonight. Who are you?» asked the guard with his thick Russian accent, seemingly not under Sophie charm yet.

«As I said I work with Mr. Tylor. With him, not for him. And I'm not a hooker. I am what you might call a madame. And I'm here to talk to your boss about the way he treated the girls I sent him last night!» she said in a more heated tone now.

She needed to get the other guard away from the monitors too, cause Nora was on her way. But he seemed pretty dead set on keeping an eye on those cameras.

«Blond girl was crazy and hit Garkof. He hit her back. He won't ask your girls again» he answered in his strange English.

«Ok, that's good. They didn't link Eliot to the girls or you yet» Sophie heard Nora saying in her earpiece. «Make it quick, Sophie. I'm jumping.»

«You don't understand, sweety» the grifter said, stepping into the guard's personal space and pointing a finger against his chest, hoping this would get the other one to join the conversation. «I don't care if he won't ask for my girls again, cause I wouldn't send them here anyway. And he has to pay me back cause they can't work with their faces all bruised!»

«You come back when boss is here. He is not here now. He comes tomorrow, you speak with him then» the first guard told her, his accent getting thicker as he got angry. Sophie had to hand it to Nora: she did have a point about that. «And he wants to talk about man you sent in here. Was he yours?»

«Don't count your chickens before they're hatched, girl! Nana used to say that all the time» Hardison said, talking mostly to Nora and her words about Eliot just a few seconds before.

«You might want to call him cause I'm not going anywhere till I have my money» Sophie said, seeing with the corner of her eyes that the other guard was standing up. Finally! «As for that man, yes he was one of mine. He was paid to protect my girls, my investments. He wasn't even able to get to them, so do what you want with him. I don't really care, he's not one of my employees anymore.»

Sophie already knew she might have to come to this, to her saying those things about Eliot. What she wasn't ready for was the pang of guilt and remorse she felt saying those things, even if she knew it was only an act. Somehow along the way she had allowed herself to become attached to him and the rest of the team.

She had to leave all those considerations for later as she saw the second guard approach her, clearly not glad to be annoyed during his watch.

Hardison didn't waste time, sending all the cameras on loop, both those on the roof and the ones inside on the way to the elevator. He was still setting up the recordings for those in the basement, checking them to make sure they could fool the guards.

«Ok, Nora. Sophie did her part: the two guards aren't in front of the monitors anymore. Cameras on loop. It's now or never» Hardison warned the soldier and scanned the roof camera footage (the one not on loop) for any trace of her. At his back, Parker slipped inside the van and sat down next to him.

«What is problem?» they all heard the second guard ask.

«Cutting away in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1» everyone heard Nora counting and then holding her breath as she pulled on the 3 ring release system that allowed to cut away the canopy and let it fly away freely. She then hit the ground with a distinctive sound, but only the hacker and the thief could see her coming out of nowhere, a dark shade moving quickly towards the door. There was no trace of the parachute.

«Damn, she's did it» Hardison said as the girl reached the door.

«I want to try it too!» Parked almost yelled.

«The problem» they heard Sophie saying «is that this guy here doesn't want to call your boss. I need to see him right away!»

«Going in now» Nora said, shooting a grin towards the camera to the two in the van. «Hardison, cameras inside on loop pronto.»

«Already done» he said, still working on the footage from the cameras in the basement.

«He is not here» the second guard told Sophie. She knew she hadn't much time before those two got angry and toss her out.

«Ok, I get it. But I still need my money. So you see, we're at a crossroad. Either you call your boss and tell him to come here and meet me right now or I'll call some good friends of mine, some clients. You see they really like those two girls and always pay me good money for them. They won't be happy with the news about your boss beating them and they won't be easily handled as the man you met yesterday.»

Nora, her back against the wall just out of habit, silently walked towards where she knew there were the elevator and the stairs. When she reached her destination, she stripped from the wirings and straps of the parachute, then opened her rucksack and put them there. She then pull out the harness and the rappelling line wearing the first and securing the second to the lock carabiner. She then took a flashlight from the bag, turned it on and placed it into her mouth.

«Are you threatening the boss?» the first guard asked abruptly.

«I'm just stating facts. Come on and call him» Sophie told them. «I want to know what he says about this. And I'll be sure to let Taylor know you're keeping me from seeing Garkov…»

The grifter was quickly running out of things to say and could see the two mobsters wondering what they should do. They probably didn't dare hit her in case she was someone important, but they weren't sure about calling their boss either.

Nora quickly opened the doors with the pure strength of her arms. She pointed the flashlight in front of her, shedding light on the elevator cables. Once sure about where to aim, she jumped and reached out for the elevator cables. With a firm hold on them, she took the rope free end from the lock carabiner and safely knotted it to a steel bar. She then took the flashlight out of her mouth and pointed it downward, towards the elevator she knew was there somewhere. It was three floorsbeneath her and there seem to be space enough between the elevator and the wall for her to go through and go on with her descent. She secure the flashlight to the harness and addressed to the rest of the team.

«I'm in the elevator shaft. Sophie, don't worry about me and get out. They're getting suspicious» Nora said, before letting go the elevator cables to start rappelling smoothly, jumping backwards coming to a halt only when she was few feet from the elevator. She then quickly started to descend climbing down the rope, the space between the elevator and the wall barely enough for her.

«You know what? I don't care. I'll call those clients of mine anyway. A little bit of money are worth seeing you and your boss beat up» the grifter said to the guards, turning around to leave.

«Wait, I call him» the second guard said, start moving towards the desk to take the cordless phone and call his boss.

Once Nora was past the elevator, she started rappelling quickly all the way down to the basement.

«No, I made up my mind. Leave your boss where he is, my clients will find him anyway» Sophie said and quickly turned around, opened the door and went to her car. The guards lingered on the threshold for a few more seconds, talking in Russian probably about what they should do while she started the engine and then, still not doing anything, they watched her driving away in a hurry. She only had to make three right turns around the block to reach the black van in the dark alley.

«Hardison, I'm in the basement. What about the man outside the elevator?» Nora asked in a whisper, while the guards on ground floor were still on the threshold watching Sophie.

«One is right outside the doors. I'm putting the cameras on the whole floor on loop now» Hardison said pressing the right key, trying to ignore Parker who mumbled something about not being able to see the other woman leaping and wanting to know her style.

«Good. Leaving the shaft now» she said.

She knew that once she started this she was going to move fast, so she fastened two holsters on her thighs: each of them held a Glock 17 and two spare clips. She pulled out of the duffle bag two thin throwing daggers and their cases and fastened them around her arms. Other two blades went in her boots and another in the small of her back. She drew another throwing knife and a machete still in its cover from the bag, then zip it closed and slung it over her shoulder. She put the throwing knife in her pocket and the machete between her teeth, knowing she'd needed it closer to act fast.

She silently opened the doors just a couple of inches, grabbed the large knife (complete with cover) with the right hand and forced it's handle between the open doors. She spared a glance at the hallway on the other side of the doors, catching sight of the guard's back, standing almost exactly in front of her but not within hand's reach. She took the throwing dagger out of her pocket and held it by the blade with the tip of her fingers. Using the knife stuck in the door as a step she could put her foot on and pulling herself up with her free left hand that leaned against the floor of the elevator threshold, she raised herself at the same height as the mobster on the other side of the door. She quickly threw the dagger aiming carefully. Her quick and quiet movements didn't draw any attention on her and the dagger easily found its mark, nailing it. The man died a silent and sudden death, with a dagger handle deep into the back of his neck. The problems though started there: not able to ease the body to the floor since it was too far from her to reach, it hit the ground loudly enough for the guards to notice.

«Holy shit!» Hardison yelled through her earpiece as he saw the guard hitting the ground, but she just ignored him as she forced her left shoulder and hand through the doors gap and pushed to increase it enough to let her through, she heard the approaching footsteps of the other guards. They didn't sound like they were running, so maybe they didn't yet know about the intruder. But they'd find out about it soon enough.

«Two… Two men on your way.» Hardison warned Nora, more than a little scared for the guy he just saw die. But he quickly recovered: this was for Eliot. And he awed it to him for all the times he saved his ass on the job.

«They don't have their guns out and they're not running» he went on. «They just probably came checking what the noise was about…»

«Yeah, I figured that much out» she answered in a whisper.

The soldier considered briefly the shape of the hallway and of the corner from which the two guards would soon appear. She examined her chances and leaned her back against the wall, flattening against it as much as she could.

«How fare are they?» Nora asked in barely a whisper.

«Almost there. I'd say 20 feet» Hardison answered.

The soldier counted in her head the remaining steps and when the first guard was turning around the corner, she quickly and smoothly struck. She hit him hard in the stomach with her elbow, forcing him to stop and bend for the pain of the blow. As he stepped back to recover and get some air back in his lungs, the other guard approached Nora, ready to take her down, but he didn't even have the time to withdraw his gun that she had already punched him to the jaw. Forgetting about the gun, he moved his hands to rub his sore chin, but then he quickly fell back to a defensive stance, his guard up. She knew she hadn't much time before the other mobster would be back in the game and she knew after that there were other two men in the room with Eliot. She couldn't afford wasting time. And she couldn't afford using guns: the two inside that room would hear the gun shots and decide that maybe now was a good time to shoot the hitman in the head.

So she withdraw one of the throwing dagger from her right arm case and started the new assault, punching and blocking blows with her right free hand and slashing and elbowing with her left armed one. She couldn't give him the time to take his gun and she couldn't give the other guy the time to join the fight. It was imperative she got into that room before anyone was alerted about what was going on.

She quickly decided what to do. Waiting for a blow from her opponent, she let him reach out for her and instead of simply blocking him, she dodged to the right, so that now his body was exposed. She grasped the wrist he'd used to throw the punch and hold it tight, spun around pivoting on her feet, her back at the mobster, and sank her blade into the Russian's neck. She let him fall to the ground, knowing that only highly trained ears, like Eliot's for example, would hear that and recognize it for what it was. She turned to the other mobster who, in the meantime, had time enough to recover from the painful blow and to withdraw his gun.

He quickly aimed at her, but she was faster: she kicked the weapon out of his hand and took a knife from where she hide it at the small of her back. She blocked a couple of his punches and then tried to hit him in an accurate spot, through the space between two ribs right into his heart. Somehow he managed to block her attack and to get a hold on the armed hand. Not releasing her, he took the knife from her and tried to stab her in the stomach, but she dodged to her right, as far as his hold on her left arm allowed her. It wasn't enough to avoid being hit, but it was barely more than a scratch compared to what could have been. Taking advantage of the momentum she gained with her movement and their positions, she raised her knee to hit the mobster in the groin. It wasn't fair or polite but she couldn't care less. Pulling out another dagger from the arm case, she aimed for the same spot she tried before and this time she succeeded in hitting it. Her dead enemy was on the ground a split second later.

She got back the three blades she'd used and quickly rinsed them, putting them back in their cases. She then retrieved the mobsters' gun, taking out the clip and discharging the bullet in the barrel.

«Damn, girl» Hardison said over the com. He was half scared and half impressed. In the all "can't believe this ain't a from some war videogames" sort of way. «You sure know how to do your job. Any chance some of them will still be breathing when you walk out of there?!»

He knew that killing people was part of a hitman job, but he was quite used to Eliot ways: he always tryed not to kill if he could avoid it. And the fact that Nora wasn't in the same room he was in allowed him to speak to her with a cockiness and a courage he wouldn't have otherwise. She didn't even regarded him with an answer, but focus her attention only on the door, considering it. That wasn't a very solid door. She could easily kick it down spearing herself the trouble of picking the lock. So, after she had drawn one of her daggers, holding it with its blade hidden behind her wrist, she kicked the door open, sending it inwards to the floor.

Nora quickly took in the room and those in it.

Two men were leaning against a wooden table, obviously unaware of what just happened outside in the hallway. Their faces showed surprise and they didn't even moved their hands to the holsters. From the corner of her eyes she could see Eliot Spencer tied to a chair, not surprised at all. Or maybe a little. He probably didn't expect it would be her the one to storm into the room.

She didn't pay much attention to him, though. She couldn't. The other two had quickly recovered from the initial surprise and approached her, fists first, their guns still in the holster. That was because they didn't see the blade she was hiding. She dodged some of the blows but, despite her quick reflex, a couple hit the mark. No big surprise, considering she was fighting against two big tough guys at the same time and she was slightly injured. She scored a couple of good punches not even trying to use her knife, but when she decided it was time to put a halt to the sparring match, she elbowed one of the guards in the face, stabbing the other one in the side, straight into the lung. Hearing him hit the ground, she turned to the other one that now sported a heavily bleeding nose and was holding it with both hands and moved hers to get a hold on his head. When her hands were firmly holding it, she thrust it downwards, meeting it halfway with her knee, positively knocking out the guy.

«Hey El. I heard you were in trouble» she said with a grin turning towards Eliot.

«Yeah, well. Nothing I couldn't handle myself» he remarked.

«Great, cause there's still a truckload of mobsters between us and the front door…» she said back. But she didn't sound worried. At all.

«You ok? Are you hurt?» Eliot asked concerned.

«Shouldn't I be the one asking that?» she laughed.

«It looks like you're the one not answering to that…» he reprimanded her.

«Maybe so, but you're the one who looks like crap!» she answered, still avoiding the injuries subject.

«Yeah, well. You don't look much better yourself» Eliot let her know with a painful grin as he watched her approach, her knife still in her hand, ready to be used to free him by the ropes tiding him.

«That's really nice of you. I haven't slept in like 4 days now…» she explained, starting to cut the rope.

«Oh, poor thing... It's not like I spent the last 20 hours being beaten up by Russian mobsters» he grinned.

«I had to tell the general I needed a leave for personal reasons» she told him, finally freeing him. «He asked what personal reasons. I had to tell him it was you.»

«Ok, you win» he answered with a sad grin.

She helped him up and took a hold on him until he found his balance. It wasn't easy, considering how long he had been forced to a sitting position with no room for any movement.

Her eyes scanned his body for injuries, mentally taking note of their location and their seriousness.

«Guys, I've got him. He's good» she said, talking to the rest of the team.

«Tell Parker the next time she punch a Russian Mob boss I won't come at her rescue» Eliot told Nora.

«Tell him the next time I won't refrain from doing much worse than punch him» Parker answered him, having heard him thanks to the range of the mic. But obviously Eliot wasn't able to hear Parker's remark, so Nora told him what she said, while she fumbled with her duffle bag, looking for the spare earpiece Hardison had given her for Eliot.

«Here, take this» she told him, handing him the little device.

«It's good to hear your voice, Eliot» he heard Sophie in the earpiece once he had placed it in his ear.

«Yes, Eliot. We're happy that you're ok» Nate agreed.

«Yeah, man. We were starting to miss your growls over the com» Hardison told him laughing.

«I offered my stash of C4 to help getting you back. She took a rain check» Parker let him know.

«Thanks, guys. You too Parker, I guess. And Hardison, you keep on being this funny, my growl will be the last thing you hear» Eliot threatened mockingly.

«Ok, now that all the pleasantries are out of the way, what about getting us out of here?!» Nora suggested now that she was sure Eliot could stand on his own. She knew there was something wrong with his ribs from the way he was slightly cradling them.

«How many on our way out?» the hitman asked.

«Three for sure: one by the elevator doors upstairs and two at the entrance. Other two doing rounds, which can be avoided if Hardison can focus long enough to guide us away from them. And other two locked up in a room, possibly the one where Parker did her vanishing act yesterday. Nothing we can't face…» she summarized for him.

«Hey, I _am_focused. Back there I was just stating something about common prejudices on European men's habits» Hardison complained.

«Do I wanna know?» Eliot asked Nora with a perplexed glance.

«I'm quite sure you don't» she answered. «Ok, I brought you a few nice toys I thought you might like.»

She started to pull from the bag several knives he eyed grinning but when she gave him a gun with a couple of spare clips he shook his head.

«Hey, you know I don't-» he started to say but was cut short by Nora.

«Like guns, I know. But you're wounded and from what I can see in no shape for a fight. I mean, I'm quite sure you can still beat the crap out of Hardison showing him how he can't punch all the wounded, but the guys upstairs… Right now you don't stand a chance in a hand to hand with them» she told him.

«Hey! I didn't say anything about punching _all_the wounded! I said I can punch them, cause I did it in the past. But nothing about all of them. Cause seriously, man, Eliot could probably take me down even in his death bed» Hardison complained in their earpieces.

All the team, Nora included, actually laughed at that, letting go of some of the tension built up in the last couple of hours.

«Alright, guys. Let's get out of here. I'm really sick of this place» Nora said once the laughter quieted down.

«You're sick of this place? What should I say then?» Eliot complained, but he was smiling. For the first time since he had to try to make his way to Parker, more than 20 hours before.

He knew he was safe now. Nora was with him and together the two of them could face anything. They already had, so many times, in their past.

* * *

R&R please

For the next one I'm afraid you'll have to wait a few days. Wednesday probably... I just need to have the next (and last) two parts ready before I can post the first one. Sorry!

_PS:_

_I'm afraid I'll have to steal another couple of minutes of your time for a quick explanation._

_I usually__ consult my dad for all the skydiving and the martial arts details, but here I did most of that on my own. So I hope it doesn't suck. But I had my reasons to do so._

_You probably don't know about the attack I mentioned above, but the soldiers involved belonged to the Folgore Parachute Brigade and my dad used to be one of them when he was younger. Thing is__, he wasn't really in the mood to discuss details about all of this. __That and the fact that I couldn't tell him when and why my character needed to do the cut away cause he'd more than likely nail my shoes to the ground so I can finally forget to start skydiving myself._

_Anyway, the cut away (when it's not done because you have problems) is something you do with a special parachute: you open it to stabilize your fall and then you cut it away. Then you open the main canopy only when you reach a specific altitude. But I stretched things a little bit. Ok, a huge bit. So I warn you: don't try this at home. Hihihi_

_One last thing. __I kinda got my inspiration for Nora's expertise from the elite team from the brigade I mentioned before. So I wanted to say thank you to all of the soldiers that dedicate their lives to protect all of us and say a prayer for them, for those who died and for all their families._


	5. The Breakout

Disclaimer: I think by now it's safe to say you all know I don't own anything.

Ok, we're almost at the end, guys. This chapter and the epilogue. Sorry for the delay: it took me a day longer than I expected.

* * *

**Chapter ****5**

**The B****reak-Out**

Hardison, Parker and Sophie were crowding the back of the van, trying to catch a glimpse of Eliot to make sure he really was ok. He sounded good on the com, but they wanted to be one hundred per cent sure about it, thus they needed to see him with their eyes. But for how much they searched through the cameras, there was still no trace of him, since he was still inside the room he had been held in.

They weren't sure how to deal with what they saw Nora doing: Hardison and Parker witnessed to everything she had done from the moment she came into view in the roof camera, while Sophie only cut in somewhere between the second and the third murdered guard. But they all were impressed. And scared. Really really scared.

It wasn't the first time they had seen somebody die, far from it. Kinda went with the job.

No, it was the efficiency and the ease she did it with that scared the crap out of each of them. They'd seen Eliot doing his job so many times, always careful not to kill anybody, that they tended to forget how his wasn't the typical way hitters dealt with things.

They didn't fool themselves: Eliot was probably as lethal as Nora, if not more, but it looked like sometimes during his life he had decided to take a little step back from that path. Something Nora obviously hadn't done. At least not yet.

The hacker, the thief and the grifter (and no, it's not the beginning of a bad joke) were staring at the surveillance monitors, doing their best to avoid each other's glare, too worried their co-workers might see the emotions written in their eyes. Hardison worked on his keyboard, not really doing anything, just keeping his fingers (and mind) busy and away from the things he saw Nora doing. Out of the three of them, though, he was the less surprised. He had known she was dangerous from the moment he saw her and he had tried to keep his distance from her ever since. So yeah, no big surprise there. And witnessing to a show of pure violence wasn't exactly something new for a kid who grew up in a not very nice neighborhood. What really got on his nerves was the fact that while she did her scary things she had started mocking him. That really didn't help matters. Of course, he still had all the intentions to stay the hell away from her, or at least as far away as he could. And seeing her skills with throwing knives he was wondering whether always keeping a wall or at least a tall piece of furniture between the two of them would be too unpolite and/or physically possible. But seeing as all those scary things she did were for Eliot, he forced himself to get over his issues for the hitter's sake. Heck, that guy owned him big time for this!

Parker was positively taken aback by Nora, but she wasn't exactly scared of her. No, she was impressed. By her skills, by the way she took out men that were twice her size. She felt a new respect for the other woman, like she had finally found someone freakily good at her job the way Parker was freakily good at hers. She felt this time she could really find someone outside the team that would be able to understand her, to appreciate her, to be her friend without having to act "normal" as Sophie insisted she'd do with the rest of the world outside Leverage. Yet again, considering they all suspected a blood relation between Eliot and Nora, she wasn't really sure she shouldn't consider the soldier a part of the team in a way.

Sophie was far from impressed. She was scared. She didn't appreciate violence, finding cons and tricks were better ways to deal with things than a blood bath. But she didn't fool herself into believing that violence should be avoided at all costs. There were prices she wasn't ready to pay and Eliot's life (as the life of everyone in the team) was one of them. No, if killing some Russian mobsters was what it took to get Eliot back she was more than ok with it. So, even if she wanted to scream with horror and disgust every time a corpse fell lifeless on the floor, she forced herself not to let it show, to keep everything inside.

Nate was following everything through the heath scan of the binoculars. It wasn't easy and sometimes he got it all wrong, but he was getting used to recognize the shorter figure between the others, taller and definitely bigger than Nora. So he wasn't entirely sure that the third heath signal he saw in the room, the seated one, was Eliot. That was until he saw Nora walk towards him, kneeling behind him and then help him up. But he was 100 hundred per cent sure only when he finally heard Eliot on the com. He wasn't ready for the sense of relief that washed over him the moment Nora earpiece caught the hitter's voice. That's way it took him a couple of second to greet him over the com.

* * *

Inside the room, Nora was trying to get over her worries about Eliot's injuries and get her head back in the game.

«I assume you could walk without help, right?» she asked him. She'd noticed he'd only taken a couple of steps so far and she really didn't want to get in trouble for not checking on him when they had the chance.

«Screw you» he growled.

«I'll take that as a yes» she grinned at Eliot's antics. «Anyway, what about those ribs?»

«There's nothing wrong with my ribs, thank you very much» he objected.

«Seem broken to me» she said.

«They're not broken. I should know. It's _my_ ribs» he told her. «They're only bruised. Maybe a little cracked. They're definitely not broken.»

«Sure, pal. Keep telling you that. It might work» she grinned. «But if you get your lungs punctured, you get my "I told you so" little dance. You know it ain't nice. And it got even worse with the years.»

«Well, spare me with it right now and let's get going. I'm getting antsy.»

«Ok. But, Eliot… Stay behind me and don't even think about arguing» Nora said leaving the room the hitter had been held in.

«Wasn't going to» Eliot answered.

«Yeah, right» the woman smirked. «I still have the rope hanging in the elevator shaft, but I guess you're rather take the stairs…»

«You read my mind» Eliot smirked.

«Guys, we're ready to head out. Hardison, let us know if the coast is clear, ok?» Nora asked over the com, talking for the first time in a couple of minutes to the rest of the team.

«Gotcha» the hacker replied. «Stairways clear. Once you're at the door, the guy by the elevator will be at your right. The others are still are where they were before. The two that are doing the rounds right now are in the back of the building: if you move fast you won't meet them.»

«Wonderful. Heading out now» Nora said in the com, her voice once again steely: she was back in the game.

She stormed out of the room, without sparing another glance at the bodies of her last two victims laying on the floor. Eliot followed her closely, cradling his ribs with the left arm and handling the gun with his right hand. Once he reached the door, he stared back at the two men responsible for his latest injuries. His face didn't show even the slightest emotion: no hate, no contempt, no satisfaction for the revenge Nora provided him. He simply stared at them for a long, intense second and then left the room.

As he did so, probably finally coming into view of one of the many surveillance cameras, he heard three sets of gasps and Nate's worried voice asking «What?».

«It's Eliot. The way they…» Sophie explained in a pained whisper, broken by a sigh.

The hitter understood their reaction: if he looked even half as bad as he felt, well he'd probably looked like crap. His ribs hurt like hell (he was so not going to tell Nora that, though), his face was swollen and bruised, full of little cuts. His legs and arms weren't injured but they felt all awkward since he had been tied up for so long.

«It's ok guys. It looks worse than it really is» he lied.

«Yeah, he just looks like a bear chewed off his face. But he feels great, all rested up and ready for a new day of work» Nora mocked him, stopping in her tracks to take a hold ofthe duffle bag she'd left in the hallway and to stare back at him. «Cut the crap, Eliot. We all can see how badly you're injured. Well, not Nathan, but I guess he can picture it pretty well…»

«Just get out of there, man. We'll take care of you» Hardison said over the com.

«Yes. Get out of there and we'll dress up Hardison as a sexy nurse. He'll take great care of you!» Parker said in a very serious voice and she only betrayed that she was kidding when she'd burnt into laughter at the end of her little joke.

«Not cool, girl. Not cool at all» the hacker complained.

«I agree. No way I'll leave this building if Hardison is wearing a miniskirt and wants to "take care of me"…» Eliot smirked. He actually wanted to laugh, but when he had actually done it only minutes before it hurt so much he wasn't willing to repeat the experience.

Following Nora's lead, he walked carefully through the hallway, trying not to worsen his injuries. When they reached the bodies of the other two guards, Eliot couldn't help to remark at that.

«Seriously, girl. What did you do? Kill anyone you found on your path?» he asked, reproachfully.

«You're getting too soft, pal. Too sloppy» she scolded him instead, keep on walking towards the stairs and almost stomping her feet, obviously a little pissed off. «And I didn't kill everyone I found, haven't I? I'm pretty sure I only knocked out the guy back in that room…»

«Yeah, you only smashed his nose right into his brain… No damage done, right?!» Eliot grinned at her antics.

«You have any complain, you go ahead and deal with the guys upstairs by yourself. I'll just get back on the roof and call back the helicopter» she growled. Eliot basically said the same things Hardison did, but somehow the hitter's words got to her in a way the hacker's didn't. Probably because she actually cared about Eliot and his opinion.

«Hey! I'm not complaining» he hurried to say as they reached the stairs. «Just saying that I usually try not to draw attention on myself or the team and a trail of dead bodies would probably point straight towards me.»

Nora reached for the door knob and place her hand on it, but didn't turned it right away. She half turned towards Eliot and stared at him in her best death glare.

«Now, if you don't mind we'd better shut up and leave this nice little chat for later» she reasoned with him.

«You know that when you got angry you sound a lot like you did when you were a kid? It's almost scary how you remind me of your young self…» he grinned at the memories.

«You keep on talking, I'll start kicking» she warned him.

«Guys, I hate to have to interfere with this funny bickering of yours…» Hardison cut in through the earpiece: he really hated to have to do that, cause he was actually enjoying every minute of it. «But you really need to reach the hall before those two other guards do, or you'll have to deal with them too… Oh, and don't worry about the cameras. Since there's no one in the stairways, I was able to put the ones in there on loop without the guards noticing it. But I won't be able to do the same with those outside the elevator.»

«Gotcha» Nora answered. She then turned the knob, opened the door and walked through it, sending daggers with her eyes towards Eliot.

«Yep, your ten years old self's picture. Right down to the eye» he grinned but then followed her.

* * *

The rest of the team, witnessing at the little show the two of them were putting on, couldn't help but smirk at their antics: it was now so clear that they had a past together. And from Eliot's words, they went way back. At least at when she was only ten years old. Their hypothesis about her being his little sister was getting more and more strong.

Hardison was too deep into the mission, keeping an eye out for the guards, to really think about it, but the others were already busy linking the dots and filling the blanks.

Well, not all the others, actually. Parker was just enjoying their back and forth, finally being able to see a side of those two she had never seen.

Sophie, instead, was deep into her considerations. She had seen glimpses of "this" Eliot only when he was dealing with Parker and Hardison, taking on himself the big brother role for both of them. She had seen him argue with them, she had seen him laughing with them, mocking them or simply having plain fun with them. She had also seen the reproaching look on his face when they were doing something he deemed wrong or dangerous, like any good big brother should do. But never in such an open way. It was never there for anyone to see. It was something he struggled to hide. It was something he was afraid to let people see. This time it was different. This time it was natural as breathing. This time was the real deal. And she suddenly didn't have any more doubts about their relationship.

Nate noticed all of that, knowing how to read Eliot better than even Sophie would have guessed. He had always been good at reading people, but with the hitter there had always been a special connection. Their acquaintance went back a few years, not as long as the one with Sophie, but enough for him to know him pretty well.

He had seen him changing over the time. At first he was reckless, merciless, a real killing machine. That's when Eliot Spencer's name started to be whispered in fear and horror. But as the years went by, the hitter cleaned up his style. Of course, not his fashion style: he would probably never give up his plain shirts and cowboy boots. No, sometime during those years, Eliot stopped killing (or at least tried to avoid killing) and from that moment on following his tracks had become more and more difficult. As he said, a long trail of dead bodies would have just pointed towards him.

Thanks to his good knowledge of Eliot and partially to him once being a father, he noticed something else in the little verbal exchange he had just overheard on the com. Yes, there was definitely a brotherly bond between the two of them, but the way he talked to Nora, the way he tried to shrug off his injuries with her even though she was obviously used to blood and people getting harmed, the way he scolded at her, the way he tried to explain how to better deal with chances of exposure. All of that was suggesting him that Eliot was used to be a sort of fatherly figure for her. Used to be the one who taught her stuff, the one who looked out for her, the one who was there to protect her.

* * *

They climbed the stairs as fast as Eliot injuries allowed, which was pretty quickly considering he was straining himself to keep a good pace. Nora stared back at him every couple of steps making sure he was ok and praying for his broken ribs (cause from the way he winced no way they were only cracked) wouldn't puncture his lungs.

«Easy now» she whispered to him when they reached the ground floor. «You stay here and rest a little bit. I take care of the guard outside the elevator and then I get back here to fetch you. Got it?» she asked him, placing on the floor the bag she had been dragging up the stairs.

«Got it» he answered in a breath. «Just… Try not to kill the guy, ok?»

«I'll try. But we don't want him to alert the other guards, so if it will come to it, I'll have no choice»

«You just won't have to come to it» Eliot went on with a reassuring nod of his head. «Now go, before the other guards arrive.»

«Is it clear, Hardison?» Nora asked over the com.

«Yep. They're taking their time. Another three or four minutes. And I'd like to join the plead: please, don't kill him» Hardison said.

«You know, guys… I don't actually enjoy the kill. I just do what it needs to be done» she explained to both men. «And Hardison… Just so you know, next time you'll feel the need to tell me what to do, I'll open a can ofwhoop-asson you!»

«I didn't mean to… I was just… I would never… Please don't….» the hacker started to explain himself.

«Mumbling again, buddy» Parker said over the com. «For what it's worth, I don't mind if you kill them all, Nora. The things they did to Eliot and to Camille… No, I don't really mind!»

«Well, I'll keep all of that in mind. Now, Hardison… Is there any chance you can put the cameras out there on loop without the guards noticing?» she asked. «Cause they might not notice that, but I'm sure they won't miss a fighting scene if that's on their monitors…»

«Mmm… well, I could check when the other cameras' footage is on the monitors and then put the one we need on loop. I have more or less 10 seconds to do so. It should be enough» the hacker explained.

«Do it» Nora said, taking a hold of two of her daggers.

«Ok, they're off the screen in 3, 2 …» Hardison said and after a couple of seconds they could hear a feverish typing on the keyboard. Almost ten seconds had passed when the hacker stopped working.

«Done it! Now, if you're ok with it… You know take your time… You should, you know… go out there…» he said, a little more than scared to having to say Nora what to do. Her threat wasn't wasted.

«Gotcha» she said, leaning against the door and silently cracking it open a couple of inches to see where the guard was. He was distracted, staring in the other direction. She opened the door enough to be able to go through it and then crept, her back against the wall, towards her mark. She had him in a choke hold in a matter of mere seconds, even if the position was a little awkward due to their height difference. She kept her hold on him till he was out of commission, knockingthe guy unconscious in the process. She dragged his body dead weight towards the stairways, kicking the door open with the hill of her shoes and pulled the knocked out guard inside.

«See? Unconscious. Not dead. Now you can't complain» she said, her grin firm in its place.

«Guess not…» Eliot smirked back.

«Guys, you probably should hurry up. The guards doing the rounds are on their way there. Two minutes top» Hardison explained.

«It will be enough» Nora answered. «Oh, and Nate… You should probably go meet the other. We're on our way to you…»

She took the bag and then moved to help Eliot walk: he looked like he was getting worse by the minute. He swept away her hands.

«I don't need your help to walk. You just think about getting us out of here» he told her. «I'll do my best to follow you and provide you a cover.»

«Ok, then. Here we go» Nora stated as she opened the door once again, this time heading to the main entrance to make their way out of that place.

The soldier, with the blueprints printed in her memory, knew exactly where to go: the guards' desk was right around the corner at the end of the hallway they were in. She stepped without a noise over the marble floor and could hear Elliot padding quietly behind her: impressive considering his injuries. They reached the hall, stopping only once they reached the corner in the hallway that led into that area.

«Guys, take the van to the main entrance in a minute. We're about to head out» Nora said over the com, knowing Eliot wouldn't be able to walk far to reach the car.

«Ok» she turned to the hitter. «I'll sneak on them, but I probably won't be able to take both of them out without them reacting. Especially if you don't want me to kill them» she glared at him. «You stay here and keep an eye out for the other guards while I take care of them. If you hear gunshots, come in there and run outside, as fast as you can. I'll get out, one way or another. You just have to storm out and go to the van. Let me take care of the rest, got it?»

«I don't like it, but I'll do like you said.» Eliot agreed. « You know, when I told you I didn't want a slaughter, I only meant it in case you can avoid it. If it comes down to choose between their lives and yours, I don't have any doubts...»

«Good to know you still care for little old me…» she grinned. «And I promise that if it comes down to it and I have to shoot them, I'll try to aim not to kill…»

«Fair enough» Eliot agreed, knowing there were very few chances they could make it with only Nora in shape to fight (though she had an injury on her right side she thought he hadn't noticed but he did) and with those guys ready to shoot at the first pretence, especially if other guards joined those at the front door.

He watched Nora discard the bag on the floor once again (seriously, what she had in the bag?! Her favorite teddy?!) and then walk to the corner silently, a blade in her left hand, obviously ready for the fight. Turning around, Eliot focused his attention on the hallway and the upcoming guards, getting his headin the game. From what he saw in the room downstairs, Nora was doing better than ever: her fighting skills looked improved and she seemed even faster than he remembered her. Hearing sounds of struggling on the other side of the corner, he got ready for the sound of gunshots. As fast as she was, it probably wouldn't be enough for her to deal with those two guys quick enough to prevent them from getting a hold on their guns. So, straightening up a bit and wincing at the pain the motion caused to his ribs, he moved her bag (and her teddy?) near his feet, and stood half turned towards the main entrance, his eyes still on the hallway. He was ready to get the hell out of there, but if Nora had thought he'd just leave her to deal with the guards, she didn't really know him that well. No way he was going to leave her in trouble to save himself. He wouldn't do that to any team mate and the more so if it was Nora.

* * *

Nora crept into the hall, her back against the wall and a knife held tightly in her left hand. She was almost done, Eliot was going to be ok. He was going to be safe. And that was all that mattered to her right now. Of course, having to deal with this new humanitarian side of him didn't help her mission to get him out of there. Under these circumstances, any other time she would have just thrown her daggers to those guards' backs, straight into the lungs. Quick and with very little noise. But no, now Eliot had gotten all merciful and caring, telling her to try not to kill those guys. As if seeing what they did to him wasn't a strong enough motive to feel the need to slit their throats open. The military life hadn't help her controlling her instinct to protect those she cared for. No, if anything that kind of life fuelled that instinct, teaching her the best way to take care of those problems. Funny as it may sound, it was the General the one who wanted her that way, as if he wasn't actually the guy she felt the need to protect her people from first and foremost.

Thinking about that, a smirk graced her lips and with the ghost of a smile she reached the two guards at the surveillance desk. They were talking in a thick Russian but she didn't waste time listening to what they were saying: she needed to take care of those two before the others would come into the picture, finding their way towards Eliot and her.

Standing ten feet from them and not daring to get closer in case they'd noticed her, she withdrew a throwing dagger and aimed it so it would hit the first guard's temple with its handle, in a quick strike she knew wouldn't make him fall unconscious unnoticed from the man standing a couple of feet next to him, but it allowed her to take care of him quickly. And that was her main concern, considering she needed to deal with the other guard, too.

She run towards the man still standing, but he was quick and jumped above the desk, where he knew he would have more room for fighting back.

Their quick movements led them to face one the other, without leaving much time to withdraw other weapons. The guard was unharmed, but he was almost a foot taller than Nora and his muscled body would make Eliot run for help if, of course, right now he was actually able to run without passing out for the pain caused by his ribs. The girl, who looked small and tiny in comparison, had her knife still in her left hand and she hoped it would do wonders for her obvious physical inferiority.

She moved quickly, trying to slash him through the chest, not deadly but painful as hell. He disarmed her in a blink, her wrist broken and angled in a very wrong way. She bit her lower lips, drawing blood, to stop herself from screaming: she knew damn well that if Eliot heard her yelling in pain, injured or not, he would storm into the room at her rescue. So much for her being his savior this time around.

There was a sequence of different reactions from both Hardison (a strange sound, almost like someone was passing out) and Parker (hissing) but Nora didn't even noticed, too engrossed in what was going on inside the hall.

Thanking the rush of adrenaline that allowed her to temporarily forget about the pain in her wrist, she got back to fighting, this time trying to hold him still with her arms and use her left knee to knock air out of his lungs. He obviously wasn't expecting such a quick reaction and she was able to fulfill her purpose. But he was quick to recover too and she wasn't able to take a hold on one of her knives. Knowing that sparing the other's life wouldn't be very easy (either she was going to shoot him or he was going to kill her) she decided that knives now wouldn't be very useful. Especially if she could use only one hand.

She blocked a burst of punches he threw at her, barely able to avoid being hit by those truck sized fists. Knowing she wasn't going to last long this way she realized that the best chance she had was to let him hit her a couple of times, putting up her guard with just her injured left arm, while with her right hand she'd try to reach for her gun.

Raising her left arm she covered her face with it: a few blows at her chest wouldn't be a serious problem thanks to her protective gear, but if he managed to hit her in the face she's be too disoriented to aim her gun properly.

Luckily for her, he fell for her little trick and started to punch her in the stomach. She quickly reached for her Glock 17, raised it and shot him three times, as protocol. Two in the chest, one in the heart.

«Eliot, quick. It's all clear» she yelled over the com, not really caring about secrecy anymore: everybody in the building was already aware about them being there. Sparing just a quick glance at the doors to make sure that the van was there waiting for them (and indeed it was), she quickly ran towards Eliot to help him on his way out, meeting him halfway from their previous spots. He was moving at a surprisingly quick pace considering his broken ribs. And he was holding her bag. "What a jerk!" she thought.

He eyed her injured wrist, still angled in the wrong way, but she just shrugged it off, putting her right arm around his back to help him walk faster. She didn't put her gun back in its holster, though: she was ready to shoot at sight anybody who'd be fool enough to step between them and the van.

Stumbling and staggering, mostly thanks to Nora half supporting half dragging him, Eliot made his way towards the doors and the van, where Hardison and Parker were waiting for them. The first guards reached the hall as the van tyres screeched away.

Once they were at a safe distance from the place they'd just left, Nora glanced at the hitter with what could only be described as a death glare.

«I swear…» she growled. «Next time I'll start shooting the moment I step into the damn room. And to hell with your "let's not kill them all" attitude!»

«Oh, come on now. It wasn't that bad» he answered with a smirk. «It was a piece of cake!»

Still glaring at him, she raised her left arm, showing him her broken wrist.

«Yeah, sure. Piece of pie» she growled back but, despite the pain, there was a hint of smile on her lips.

_

* * *

_

A/N

_Ok, now it's pretty clear who Nora is, but you'll need to wait for the next part to hear it out loud. Well, you know what I mean. I hope you'll like this chapter even if, as the last one, there's a good amount of violence. I'm sorry if the last one didn't meet your tastes, grossed out or disappointed you (not really sure cause there was just one review): just let me know what's wrong so next time I'll know what to do different. I'm still at the beginning here…_

_About that… I was thinking about making a sort of series out of this. Something like "The list" series or "The leathered notebook" series. It won't be about Nora, even though we might see her again. It will be about the other names on Eliot's list. Don't know if they'll be as long as this one or just one shots. Most likely they'll be a mix of the two, with something a little shorter than this one in the middle… hihihi_

_Well, let me know if you'd like to read something like that, otherwise I'll just move to other projects for this and other shows._

As always: R&R

Epilogue will be up by Monday. Sunday if I'm very very very lucky. And your reviews are very very very good! hihihi


	6. Dealing with the Past

Disclaimer: Once again I don't own anything.

_A/N: I'm a terrible, terrible writer. I've just now realized something: I started this story saying that the team was in New York because I needed to give Nate some space to think about Eliot's list without the others bothering him. But when Nora landed (in New York) I kept picturing Nate's place as the headquarte__rs for the mission. Which obviously can't be, considering his place his back in Boston. I have to make my deepest apology to those who noticed and ,well, even to those who didn't cause now you know about it too… hihihi_

_Anyways, it's not really something plot-changing… Let's just pretend the team went all sentimental and decide to rent a place that looked just like Nate's apartment. Maybe I'll go back and correct it._

Well, guys… Surprise! I thought I could put all I needed in a last chapter, but I started writing and couldn't stop. Thus the delay. Sorry! Anyway, I hope you won't mind: here is chapter 6.

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* * *

**

Chapter 6

**Dealing with the Past**

The ride back to the headquarters was pretty uneventful, that is until Hardison felt the need to let Eliot know that his hair was a little unkempt. Mostly because it was easier to focus on his disheveled and bloodied hair than on the red and blue mask that was Eliot's face.

«Dude, your hair is a mess» the hacker said when the silence inside the van started to make him feel uncomfortable.

«Seriously. Out of all the things you could have said to me after I've been held prisoner and beaten into a pulp by Russian mobsters, you go for my hair?!» the hitter asked half amused half pissed off.

«It was either that or "Dude, you look like Spike did after Glory had a little chat with him about the whereabouts of a certain Key"» Hardison replied swiftly. «But I figured a Buffy reference right now would be a little too much for you and possibly got me killed in the process.»

«Thank God for that» the hitter answered with a sigh.

«I wonder who'd go to Eliot, pretending to be a robot, to tell him he's covered in sexy wounds» Nora remarked with a smirk.

«NO WAY» Hardison yelled, almost driving the van into a street light for the surprise. «You're a Buffy fan?!»

To say that the hacker was squirming in his seat was an understatement. He couldn't believe his ears: the badass soldier that had just killed five men showing no regret, or any other emotionfor the matter, not only knew who Buffy Summers was, but also sounded awfully like a diehard fan.

«Well, that depends on what you mean by "fan"» Nora explained, eyeing Hardison warily. «I saw all the episodes alright. But I never thought about, you know, go to conventions or do some other geeky stuff like that. Just loved that she could kick some serious ass, that's all…»

«Yeah, but you did just quote one of the episodes in a non related conversation! I'd say that's pretty geeky» the hacker argued excitedly.

«No, you did. I just make a joke about something you said» the soldier replied, more than a little annoyed at being called "geeky" by a geek.

«You know, whatever you say he's going to win this argument anyway. He'll simply talk nonstop till you give up. It's much easier and quieter if you just ignore him…» Eliot told Nora, giving her a piece of advice regarding Hardison.

«Hey! I heard that!» the hacker complained and start grumbling.

«Eliot's right, you know» Parker nodded, turning towards the soldier to be sure she'd heard her over Hardison's complaints**.**

«Kids behave. We need to get Eliot to the E.R. asap. He might have a concussion and a few broken ribs. No time for childish quarrels» Nate scolded them through the com with his best fatherly tone. And in a way he was a father for the younger members of the team.

«Sorry, boss» Hardison answered, no trace of regret in his voice.

Parker didn't apologize, probably thinking she actually didn't take part in the quarrel. Eliot simply grumbled something unintelligible, partially because of the pain in his ribs and partially because he was so not going to apologize.

«I'm pretty sure I can take care of both my and Eliot's injuries well enough to catch a plane back to Boston, so he'll be able to rest in his own bed» Nora said, giving the hitter a once over. «I'd say it's better if we put a couple of States between us and Garkof. I'd bet he's not gonna like it when he finds out I killed most of the night shift.»

«He'll be pissed, Nate» Eliot agreed with her. «Nora's right. If I don't have a concussion, which I'm pretty sure I don't have or I'd have already puked my guts out by now, we should go back to Boston. It's safer.»

«You're right» Nate granted. «But there's no way we can get you on a plane unnoticed by the cops. And it will take us a while to book a private jet…»

«I know a guy» Nora replied. «He can have a jet ready in half an hour.»

«You know a guy» Hardison cut in, echoing her words. «Girl, I swear. One of this days I'll take a look at that phonebook of yours… I bet you even have the friggin' president's private number in there!»

«Man, if you treasure the chance to have kids, you should stay the hell away from her phone» Eliot warned him.

Hardison laughed loudly at that, without bothering to check in the rear mirror either the hitter's expression or the soldier's look.

«Seriously, man. Don't» Eliot told him again. And this time the hacker did check in the rear mirror and the other man's face showed no amusement: he was dead serious.

«Oh»

That was all Hardison manage to articulate after that. A strange silence fell inside the van: the hacker was positively speechless, Parker was wondering whether the threat was addressed to her too and if it applied to all of her stuff cause she had her eyes on a few nice things in the soldier's gear she by pure chance "stumbled on" in her bag. Nora was smirking to Eliot for his good choice of words and the way he seemed to still know her, even if the last time they saw each other went back more than three years. The hitter, instead, was staring at the soldier, as if he was drinking her in. He had missed her.

«If not to the nearest E.R., where should we head then?» Sophie asked, breaking the silence. «The place we've been staying?»

«Back to base, yes. I'll patch up Eliot and then we'll go to the airport from there» the soldier answered. «I assume back there you have everything we'll need to take care of this wounds, right?»

«Yes» the grifter assured her. «We're always ready for the worst scenario…»

«I guessit comes with the job» Nora nodded.

Nobody seemed to find anything to reply at that, so they chose to stay quiet for the rest of the drive.

* * *

«Oh, come on! Don't be such a baby. I barely touched you» Nora complained snorting at Eliot, slapping him on the thigh with her good hand.

«Barely touched me my ass! If I didn't know better I'd say you're enjoying this» the hitter muttered, shifting slightly. He was perched on the counter in the bathroom back at the headquarters. The other members of the team were busy gathering together their stuff to be ready to leave the place when the soldier was done patching up the hitter. «Oh, wait! It's you I'm talking to. You do enjoy this!»

«Yeah, I'm loving every minute of this. It's always been my deepest desire to check if my big bro's ribs are broken» Nora replied. «Oh, wait. No, it's not. And it's not even the first time I have to do this with you. So hold still, grit your teeth and man up a little bit!»

«You told them?» Eliot asked her.

«What? That you're my brother?» she asked and at his nod she went on, the ribs checking forgotten. «Nope. It's your team, man. Your family. I didn't know how much you told them about your past, about me, the army, the General…»

«Nothing. They don't know jack about it» he replied. «Didn't feel like sharing that part of my life.»

«Why?» she asked. «You're that ashamed of us?»

«It was me I was ashamed of» he whispered. «I abandoned you. And the team.»

«No, El. He made you. You didn't have a choice» she reassured him with a smile. «We both know the man, he's big on drama and ultimatum. He gave me one of those more than once.»

«Yeah, you didn't tell me how it went when you had to tell him you were coming here to help me…» Eliot inquired.

«Oh, he was so happy to hear about it he even offered himself as back up…» she answered him in a mocking tone. «Just name a curse, he said it. You know how he gets when he's pissed. Friggin' wordy and creative.»

«And?» Eliot pressed her to go on, knowing full wellthere was more.

«And then it was ultimatum time. He said that if I left to come and get you I could kiss the team goodbye. That I could kiss the army and my career goodbye. Obviously his words were a little more… colorful.»

«I'm sorry, sis» Eliot said, the last word rolling off his tongue in a familiar way though he hadn't said it in years.

«Don't be. The team chose to leave with me. I tried to talk them out of it, especially the newbie, but what can I say?! They just loooove me» she smirked, dragging the "o". «And you didn't even hear the juicy part yet. He said "you walk out that door, I'll forgot I have a daughter". The nerve of him!» she said, mimic the man's deep voice. It sounded a lot like Eliot's. «But I knew exactly what to answer at that. "It's funny, cause I've forgotten I have a father long time ago". That's what I said.»

«Bet he loved it» Eliot smirked. He'd used more or less the same words when the general threw him out of the army. Just because he didn't live up to the man's idea of perfect son and perfect soldier. Just because he wasn't ready to be trusted with and held responsible for the lives of other five men (his little sister included), leading them head first into high risk missions all around the world. Because he wasn't ready to be part of a team, because he just wanted to be alone and not care for anyone else than himself for once.

«Yeah.. I swear, he looked like he was about to have a fit. But it's true. He's never been a dad. He was a general, a soldier. Our personal drill sergeant from hell. After mum's death, you're the one who raised me. And you saved me more times than I can count. Even when I wasn't speaking to you cause you left me there, alone, you still came and saved me. You didn't have to, but you did. You know I'm grateful for all of that, right?» she told him, emotion thick in her voice.

«Hey! You're going all touchy feely on me, now?!» Eliot asked mockingly, not really ready to go there, at that particular day.

«Screw you» she growled. «I was trying to be straightforward here. To apologize. Forget I said anything.»

«No need to» the man assured her. «When I left I didn't exactly take the time to seat and explain you why I couldn't be in that team, let alone lead it. You felt betrayed and left behind. I knew it even before you'd yelled it at me after I saved you from that crappy cell three years ago.»

At that he actually laughed. Then winched for the pain in his ribs.

«Yeah, well. You deserved it. You came in, hero style, dragged my ass out over there, took me to that cabin in the mountains and patched me up. But you still wouldn't say a word about why you left. I was feeling like crap and all you could do was telling me how great your life was now that you were alone. I swear, if I had been able to stand, I would have done so much more than yell at you and ask you to leave» Nora said, her voice hoarse with emotions kept at bay the best she could. She tried to regain a little of her self-control lighting up the tone of the conversation, not ready to deal with the consequences of what happened that day. «By the way, worst decision ever taken. Three letters: M-R-E**. **At first it was all I managed to do to open those hellish things, cause… you know… injured much?! Then I was just too lazy… Two months of stomachache. And to think I would have had an excellent cook at my disposal if I hadn't been so shitheaded!»

«I hear you, sis» Eliot grinned. «You can be a little bit shitheaded at times.»

«Ah, ah. Funny» she pretend to scold at him.

They were both dancing around something that was right there between them but they were dead set on not acknowledging it.

«Now, would you please let me check those ribs of yours, so I can tell for sure they're broken and then I can have my "I told you so" little dance?» Nora went on as if the proverbial huge pink elephant wasn't in the room with them. «Though I have to warn you: it might look all weird with the broken wrist and stuff…»

«Stuff? What stuff?» Eliot asked, grateful for the excuse to change the subject she offered him.

«You know… Stuff!» she explained vaguely, but at his intense stare she just went on and clarified things for him. «One of those big bad Russian mobsters, back there, landed one at my hip. With my own knife, the sucker!»

«You told me it was barely a scratch» he told her, his voice steely cause he really didn't like it when she told him she was fine but she wasn't.

«Yeah, well. I'm not going to bleed to death. But it will need stitches. And with this hand» she said holding up the injured arm «I'm not gonna be able to do that alone… And it might mess up my "I told you so" dance!»

«Enough with that! Show me the cut» he demanded.

«Your ribs first» she answered determined. «Then, if we have the time you'll take a look at that. As I said, I'm not gonna bleed to death because of it.»

«I swear, you're the most stubborn woman I've ever met…» he grumbled, getting ready to feel pain as she examined his ribs.

«And I wonder where I got that from…» she grinned as she fingered his chest with her good hand.

As he winched, her grin grew bigger.

«You're so gonna regret telling me they're "just bruised, maybe a little cracked"… Big time!» she laughed.

«I hate you» he growled.

«No, you don't» she smiled.

«Yeah, well. Sometimes I wish I did. But it seems I'm stuck with my pain in the ass little sister…» he faked a very small sigh (cause really, he was just tired of winching in pain and seeing her grin).

«You bet your ass you are» she smiled happily. She had missed her big brother and the way it felt having someone taking care of you for once. She loved her teammates, but she was their leader, their superior. They were a family and she often felt like their mum. She guessed that made Eliot their fatherly but wayward uncle.

She could live with that.

* * *

Parker came to sit on the sofa where the rest of the team was checking their baggage to see if they left something out.

«We were right. She is his sister» the thief said out of the blue.

Sophie was the first to react. She clapped her hands once in a cheerful way.

«I knew it. It was pretty evident when she found him in that cell. The way they talked…» she nodded vigorously.

«Yeah, well. The signs were all there. She scared the crap out of me the second I saw her. That little thing has Eliot Spencer's sister written all over. That and her eyes» Hardison agreed.

«It wasn't hard to guess. How did you find out, anyway?» Nate asked. Leave it to him to ask the obvious question.

«Eavesdropping» Parker answered with a shrug, implying it was fool of him to even ask.

«Of course you did. And did you happen to… ehm… find out more about them?» Nate inquired.

«Sure, lots. They talked about a general. Think he might be their father, though they didn't seem too happy about that. I've almost missed her saying that her mother died long ago. You know, sometimes they didn't make much sense. Then they said something about Eliot leaving the army, but I didn't hear much. They were pretty quiet talking about it. All secretive like. Then something about Eliot saving her and then fighting about stuff» Parker finished her report.

«Soldier dad. Guess that explain a lot. I mean, they just scream military background» Hardison nodded as that explained all the quirks those two seemed to have.

«Yeah, it also explains Eliot being all fatherly with her» Nate nodded.

Three pair of eyes stared at him in utter surprise.

«What? Didn't you notice? Well, I guess it's just the fact that I have firsthand experience about that…» Nate cut off his remark, thinking at his son.

His last words were followed by a heavy silence, full of unspoken words of comfort, regret, general sadness. That of course was until Parker happened.

«Do you think she'll agree if I ask her to jump from the plane that will take us to Boston? Or is it too soon?» she asked out of the blue.

«I think she'll need to have her wrist all healed up before she'd do anything even remotely close to that» Nate reasoned with her. Which was normally really tough considering she was Parker and reasonable didn't really work with her. Or apply to her.

«It's so unfair… » she pouted but then sudden realization struck her. «Uh! What about that rain check with the C4?»

* * *

The group made its way towards one of the hangar at JFK Airport. And was it a really weird group.

The soldier led the way, her duffle bag slung on her right shoulder and her left hand wrapped up and pretty evident against the black of her t-shirt and sweatpants. At her side and talking with her there was Eliot in his usual plaid shirt (this one was blue and white) and worn out jeans. His swollen face was one big blue bruise, but at least he was walking swiftly now that he got back the feeling in his legs and his ribs were wrapped up. They still hurt but thanks to the dressing and the painkillers, it was more than bearable.

A couple of feet behind them walked Sophie and Nate and the latter was pulling a baggage trolley with both his and the grifter's belongings. Both of them were silent and busy, watching closely the two in front of them, having the chance to see a far more relaxed version of Eliot, something they weren't used to. After a job he usually was quite and overall laid-back, sometimes a little more tense if things went south during the con. But he was never this utterly happy or at least he never let it show. Right now he was walking towards the plane as if he was going on holiday rather than going back to Boston to get his ribs checked.

Nora seemed as relaxed as he was. She was cheerful, so much so that she didn't even sound that threatening when she mocked Hardison on their way to the airport when he asked if they were going to fly with a military air shipment or if it was going to be a private jet. Her smile didn't faltered when she answered that they would fly in a comfortable private jet but that she was more than willingly to lock him into the cargo bay if he was so dead set on experiencing firsthand what flying in a military cargo airplane meant.

Behind Sophie and Nate walked Hardison and Parker, both engrossed in their thoughts: the hacker was trying to decide if Nora had meant it when she said she was going to lock him up in the STIVA, not really trusting the way she said "more than willingly", like she was actually dying to do it. And he really didn't like that thought. Parker, instead, was wondering whether or not to ask Nora out for a coffee. Back then, after the trial jobSophie told her that's what friends do. They hang out and they go for coffee. And she was pretty sure Nora wouldn't be scared by her as Peggy was when they went for a coffee.

When they reached the hangar they found people waiting for them. Four big bulky men that looked ready to jump you as soon as you breathed their way. That sight had Hardison squirming and shaking in his boots instantly. As the team made its way into the hangar another one, somehow even scarier than the others, climbed down thejet ladder and joined them. He was taller than the others, built to a t and his features suggest there was some Latin blood in his veins. Dark eyes and curly dark hair gave him a devilish look that suited him perfectly.

«Hey boss» the guy said. «What's up with your hand?»

Hardison's head turned to stare at Nate out of habit, but then he realized that those men were all staring at Nora.

«NO WAY!» the hacker yelled, echoing the surprise he felt in the van when he found out about her Buffy interests. «You're their boss?»

«Well, Hardison. Thank you for sounding so surprised. I guess I'll just have to give you a little sample of my ass kicking skills…» she grinned but it was obvious to anyone she didn't really meant it. Well, to anyone but Hardison who took a couple of cautious steps back.

«Boss, the hand?» the man from before asked once more, impatiently. He didn't seem the kind of guy who valued patience.

«Sorry, Ace. I'm afraid I broke my wrist, but we'll check it once we get to Boston. Eliot's ribs too» she answered easily.

«Hey guys» Eliot greeted them but he seemed a little tense. Which of course showed only with a slight clenching and unclenching of his fists.

«Hey man» a couple of them mumbled but the others just growled.

«They're still mad at me?» Eliot asked Nora in a whisper.

«Not really. They're just showing their team spirit and their loyalty to me» she explained and smiling, somewhat pride of her men. «That and the fact that I had to insist to come here alone cause your people wouldn't trust someone else other than me. They didn't really liked that. Oh, and having to give up their career to follow me in my choice? That doesn't help either.»

Eliot nodded at that, knowing it was a pretty damn good reason to go all grumpy on him. But something in the way Ace and the one next to him were staring at him told him it wasn't as simple as that.

«Listen guys» he said tentatively. «I'm sorry for what happened. I wish you didn't have to give up everything to help me…»

«Don't fool yourself» another one said. He was a couple of inches shorter than the guy Nora called Ace and it was pretty easy to tell cause he was standing next to him, seemingly ready to back up his taller teammate. He had blond hair, baby blue eyes and a strong jaw: the poster boy for the average American man. Well, he would have been if it wasn't for the big nasty scar on his left cheek. «It had nothing to do with you. We did it for Nora.»

«Easy. He's just saying he's sorry» Nora cut in, trying to loosen the tension.

«Bullshit. He walked out on us. Worse than that, he walked out on you, he's baby sister…» the guy argued, staring at his boss.

«Way to go man! They didn't know he was my brother. And mind who you're calling baby, soldier!» she scolded at him.

«Oh, don't worry. We've known about it for ages. From the moment we first saw her» Parker stated in a very matter-of-factly way.

«You met her yesterday. That hardly can be described as "ages"» the guy remarked.

«Back off, Nick» Nora told him. «She has nothing to do with this. You all are mad at me and at Eliot. Don't take it out on the others» she stated in a calm voice. The voice of a leader talking some sense in her men.

«I think we should take this to the plane. Both of you needs medical care and the soon we take off the soon you'll get it» another one of the soldiers cut in. He looked like someone used to mediate between people, to reason with them. His muscles were threatening but his green eyes were warm and caring. The freckles all over his face and the red hair made him look younger and more innocent than he probably was.

«Thanks, cause my hip is starting to throb and I bet Eliot's ribs are killing him» she smiled at the guy appreciatively.

Ace seemed ready to ask what was wrong with her hip or maybe to say something harsh about Eliot's pain, but at Nora's death glare he thought better and shut his mouth. Hardison made a mental note to never piss off the girl: if even a badass the size of that Ace guy didn't dare to cross her, she sure was something else entirely.

They all climbed the jet ladder: first the soldiers, then Nora supporting Eliot, and finally the rest of Leverage team.

«I'm sorry, El» Nora whispered as they reached their seats, watching her men retreat into a secluded area converted into a sort of conference room, through which she could see the red haired move to the cockpit. «Didn't know they all planned to come. I called David and asked him to fly here. I knew he wouldn't make a fuss out of this. But it looks like the others saw fit to tag along.»

«Don't worry, sis. I knew it wouldn't be easy» he reassured her, trying to sit comfortably despite his ribs. «What I'm really worried about is what Nate and the others found out about you. Hardison can hack into anything. There are parts of our past I don't think they should know about…»

«I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. I can cover my tracks, you know. You have your Hardison, I have my Matt and you know he's pretty good at his job» she grinned affectionately, thinking at her own computer geek. Only, hers was able to hack into anything with one while killing a man with the other. «Just be sure we don't leave them alone cause I don't even wanna know what would happen… Best scenario, they start a 24 hours nonstop WOW challenge.»

«No. Best scenario, Matt kills Hardison and I won't have to hear him mumble about something computer related ever again…»

«Oh, come on! Who you think you're talking to? I'm your sister. I know you and I know you like the guy. Otherwise, he'd be already dead with how much he talks» she laughed.

«Yeah, man. Admit it: you like me!» Hardison cut in, putting his face between the back of their seats.

«You do that again and I'm gonna kill you!» Eliot growled. He was so engrossed in his little chat with Nora that he didn't even noticed Hardison was sitting in the seat behind his, with Parker at his right.

«No, you won't. Cause you sister knows you and she knows you like me» the hacker said, nodding towards Nora. «Man, it sounds so weird saying "your sister"…»

«Yeah, about that. Did you manage to find anything about me during the research I shouldn't know you made?» she asked him with a grin.

«Nate asked me to do it» he excused himself. «And no, nothing. It was really annoying, by the way. Hate it when I come out empty handed.»

«Good to know. It means my hacker knows how to do his job» she nodded satisfied.

«Yeah, about that…» Hardison replied. «Who is it? I mean, usually you can pretty much tell who's the computer geek in a team but all I see here is muscles and death glares. And here I thought you and Eliot were the scary ones…»

«It's Matt, the one with brown hair and green eyes. And what, you're trying to tell me that I don't look scary anymore?» Nora asked him in her best fake pissed voice.

«Uh, no» Hardison gulped. «Not at all. You're scary. Like deadly scary. You know, the "I'm the last thing you're gonna see before you die" kind of scary. But they seem to hate my guts and I don't even know them…»

Sophie, who was so not eavesdropping, cut in the conversation, walking the couple of steps from her seat to Eliot's and leaned in the back of his seat.

«Yes, that's exactly the same sensation they gave me. And I'm not really sure what I did to deserve it…» the grifter nodded.

«Yeah, they were looking at me all funny too» Parker felt the need to add, even though the others weren't sure if the stares she got were filled with hate like theirs or, you know, the "what the heck is wrong with her" stares she usually got from people.

«I'm sure there's an explanation to that. Isn't there, Eliot?» Nate asked, walking to them too.

«I think I'm going to leave you to deal with this. I have my own team to go talk to. There's a jackass or two I need to talk some sense into…» Nora jumped up, thinking it would be better for Eliot to tell them everything on his own. She left her seat and when she was walking close to her brother to step in the hallway, she leaned in a little to whisper something in his ear.

«You should start asking Parker what she overheard while we spoke in the bathroom» she suggested him.

He stared at her making her way to the secluded area with a conference table for their mission debriefs. His lips were graced by a small grin and he tried to hide his surprise: she really got his people better than he'd given her credit for. Then again, she'd always been good at reading people and dealing with them.

* * *

«So, you're saying that you basically raised her since your mom's death because all your dad could do with you was treat you like soldiers. Then you actually became soldiers, both of you. Badass supersoldiers, working with a team of other badass supersoldiers. But you didn't like it. You just gritted your teeth and kept on doing whatever top secret things you were doing cause you wanted to check on her and make sure she was ok. But then your father, this General guy, made you leader of the team and you walked out on all of them, your sis included, cause you didn't feel like taking all that responsibility. How am I doing?» Hardison summarized.

«Yeah, that's what I've been telling you for the last 10 minutes. Glad you didn't just fall asleep in your seat» Eliot complained. He wasn't really angry with the hacker; he was angry period. Angry with his father for the choice he forced him to make and with himself for not being strong enough and leaving his sister behind. Who by the way seemed to be doing a great job leading said team, at least considering the way her men were willingly to defend her, follow her and protect her. Then again maybe they just were better big brothers than he was. And that thought got him even angrier.

«But you kept in touch right?» Parker asked, herpuppy dog eyes telling him she was feeling close to Nora's sense of loss. It was odd to think that two girls so different one from the other could find some common ground.

«No, she was mad at me and I thought it would have just been better if I didn't stick around» he said, still regretting his bad decision.

«But I thought she said she hadn't seen you in just three years…» Sophie argued quickly doing the math.

«Yeah, well…» Eliot braced himself for the worst part of all this.

He knew he had to tell them, heck he felt the need to tell them. But that didn't make it any less difficult. He stared at his hands, not daring to look at the others, afraid of their reactions at what he was about to say. So he just let his mind wander back at those days, memories flashing in front of his eyes as faded pictures.

«A little more than three years ago she was captured during a mission. They took her and hid her. Moved her to another state, no traces left behind. Nothing. She just dropped off the radar. Her team wasn't able to get a hold on her location. You know, her being the leader, she knew important and secret stuff most people, bad people, would kill to know. And that was exactly what they were planning to do if they didn't manage to break her with their tortures» he sighed, thinking at how many times he had been the one doing the tortures. Not so funny when the one being held prisoner is someone you love, someone you swore to protect.

«David, the red haired guy who's driving this plane, he called me and asked my help finding her. He's a pretty decent guy and he knew I would have wanted to try to do something and that I had resources they didn't have. The General was pretty useless, he gave her for dead, the sucker. His own daughter was missing and being tortured and he didn't lift a damn finger to try and find her.»

He clenched his fists tightly, knuckles white and teeth greeted at the thought of the General's total lack of interest.

«Well, it took me three weeks and a lot of things I don't even want to think about, but at the end I found her. She was…»

His voice actually faltered at that. Because of the overwhelming emotions he felt back then, when he found her. Because of the first glimpse he caught of her upon finding her that was carved in his memory. Because of the things he knew he was going to say.

«Well, she was barely alive. I've never seen anything like that. I did my fair share of tortures back in the days, but the things they did to her…» he gulped, trying to let go of the terrible images of those days.

«That's what changed me for good. Cause I knew it was all my fault: I wasn't there for her when she needed me. I took her to this cabin in the mountains we used to go when we were kids. A nice place. Good memories. The General used to take us there when he went hunting. We just hanged at the little lake near the cabin, taking baths and playing. As real kids, normal kids» he almost smiled at that. Almost.

«Well, I thought she would like it. I took her there and I started to tell her how things were easier outside the army, without the General making the calls. I wanted her to realize she needed to give up that life, to leave all that behind, if she wanted to be happy. It came out all wrong, though» he sighed at that. Now more than ever not willing to meet the others' eyes.

«She felt it like I was showing off, shoving my perfect life on the outside in her face. Like I was happy because I was alone and I didn't have to look after her anymore. Obviously I didn't meant it like that, but I didn't consider how weakened she was, how broken after all they'd done to her. Out of all the cruel things I did, I regret that day more than anything in my life. If I could take it back, I would. In a second. All the pain I caused her, as if what they did to her wasn't bad enough…»

It all came out as a stream of consciousness and he didn't really cared if any of that made sense to the others. He was reliving all of this for the first time, pouring the words straight from his heart. He actually tried to say something to Nora when they were alone in the bathroom, when she was patching him up, but he couldn't make himself go there. It hurt too much. They danced around it, never really going there. That was why now Eliot was close to a break down. But he didn't allow himself to do so. It wasn't his pain what mattered here.

He felt Sophie place a hand on his shoulder and squeeze lightly, as if she was trying to give him the strength he needed to go on. Even after everything he told them, they were still there. Like a family should do. That made him thankful, but at the same time it hurt him even more, knowing he wasn't able to do so with Nora back then.

«Well, obviously she got mad. Really mad. She wasn't able to lift a limb and all she manage to do was yell at me and even that hurt her like hell. But she yelled at me with all she had and she asked me to leave.»

He took a deep breath, trying to come up with the courage to go on. He was a hitter, someone who dealt with pain and deadly situation for a living. But this thing he was doing scared him like hell.

«And I did» he added with the smallest and lowest voice.

«I should have stayed there and took whatever she'd throw at me, cause I knew she was only hurting from all the things they did to her. But I couldn't. She was yelling at me all her hatred and I couldn't make myself stand there and take it all. Because I felt guilty. So I left» Eliot closed his eyes, willing the tears forming in his eyes to make their way back from where they'd come.

«Now she jokes about it. She went through a hell of pain and she did it on her own, cause I couldn't bring myself to stay right there where she needed me. And now she jokes about it.»

«It's easier that way» Nora said. She was standing by the door leading into the plane "conference room", her arms folded on her chest allowing her broken wrist to lean on her good arm. «Joking about it makes it more bearable. I'm still running away from that day to. I'm too ashamed of what I said.»

«I think we should live you two alone to discuss this through» Sophie suggested, talking more to her teammates rather than to the brothers that were struggling with something much bigger than anyone should ever face.

Nate moved quickly, following the grifter, while Hardison stood up and motioned for Parker to do the same. She didn't seem too keen to do that, she even mumbled something that sounded a lot like «But I want to know how it ends» but, with a little bit of convincing from Hardison's part (he unceremoniously grabbed her arm and dragged her away), she finally left her seat and followed the rest of her team making its way towards the door Nora was standing next to. The soldier thanked Sophie as she made her way to the conference room. It was barely above a whisper, but the emotions the grifter could feel in those two simple words were more intense than most she had heard in her whole life.

She watched Hardison close the door behind him and Parker, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that closing the members of Leverage Consulting and Associated in a room with her team was far from a good idea. But she had more pressing matters to deal with right now and anyway she did took the time to ask her men to behave. And she knew she could trust David to handle it.

She walked towards his brother and set beside him.

«Back then I knew you weren't shoving your perfect life in my face» she told him. «It was just easier to yell at you than deal with all the things happened to me. Maybe I even knew you were only trying to make me see I could have had a life outside the army and the General sandbox, but yelling at you helped me taking my mind off what happened. You did wrong by leaving, but I did wrong too by taking it all out on you. You saved me and all you had back was curses and hanger.»

«Curses and hanger» Eliot grinned. «Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree…»

«Oh, no. I'm not gonna turn into him. And you won't too. I won't let you. He's a jackass who cares only for his damn self. You're worth much more than that» she stated confidently.

«I guess that means you're planning to keep in touch» Eliot half asked half noted.

«Told you. You're stuck with that pain in the ass of your little sis» she said, echoing his words from before.

«You can bet your ass I am» he echoed her words too.

It occurred to them that neither of them had actually apologized, but they both knew that sometimes and with some people apologies weren't needed and all that mattered was stick together and have each other's backs. Maybe back then they didn't, but now they had all the intentions to do so.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

If you think Eliot's stream of consciousness about what happened with Nora, well... Let's just say you should blame "Easier to run" by Linkin Park: I kept listening at that while I wrote that part cause it just got me in the right mood... Maybe a little too much! hihihi

The epilogue is almost finished, it just needs the ending scene and a last check. So, since I'm not cruel (and also to help you forgive me for the setting oversight and the delay with this chapter) I'll post it Friday: it's my birthday and what better way to celebrate it than posting the last part of my first multichapter fiction? Oh, yeah! A party with my best friends! Lots of presents! Hihihi Well, I'll have those on Saturday… Anyways, I promise: Friday I'll post the next (and last) chapter. For real this time! hihihi

R&R, please


	7. It's All About Families

Disclaimer: Still owning nothing.

Thank to all the people who posted comments, added the story or me to their favorite.

Sorry for making you all wait for this, you've probably given up on me by now, but I'm back at college and between the classes and the daily journey to college and back (2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening…) I barely have the time to study, let alone sit down and write… Sorry!

The first 6 pages were ready when I posted chapter 6, but I wrote the last bits a thousand times on the back of my notebooks, trying to come up with the perfect ending. Needless to say, it came out longer than I expected. Still, I couldn't put everything I came up with in this final draft. Still, I ended up writing another chapter and doing a different epilogue than the one I had in mind, but I like this one better, so I hope you'll enjoy it too.

It's more than 5,000 words, so brace yourself!!!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**It's All About ****Families**

«You think it's wise to leave them alone?» Parker asked out of the blue, oblivious of the tense mood that was winding in the room. Really, she only wanted to see how things were going with those two. Her future friendship with Nora might be depending on that.

«They're brothers, they won't hurt each other. At least not on purpose…» David said from the cockpit: the door leading there had been left open, most likely to allow him to take part in the conversion they had before Nora left the room. «And they need to have this confrontation. They had been avoiding it for way too long.»

«I agree» Sophie nodded surprised by the insight the soldier seemed to have on both of the brothers.

«Yeah. And I'm so not gonna check on those two. Even simply thinking about walking in there right now scares the crap out of me» Hardison replied.

«I'm pretty sure almost everything scares the crap out of you» Ace, the tall and devilish looking guy, asked.

«And I'm pretty sure Nora told you to keep your trap shut, Ace» David said from the cockpit. «Or do I need to ask Matt to come here and pilot this plane while I make you shut it?!»

«I'd really like to see you trying, Dave. I've been dying for a good little fight since I saw El coming in the hangar. But I guess beating the crap out of him while his face looks like an hamburger and his ribs are broken wouldn't be very fair…» he conceded.

Sophie, who was listening carefully at everything they were saying and thanking mental notes of what she deemed interesting, couldn't help but notice how, even if Ace was obviously angry at Eliot, he referred to him with his nickname.

«He would kick your ass anyway, broken ribs and swollen face or not» Parker cut in, sounding one hundred per cent sure of her words.

«Crazy, you don't know what you're talking about» Ace argued angrily.

Nate was ready to cut in and defend Parker's mental health (quite often he was the first to question it, but that didn't mean he would just stand idly there while those guys were insulting one of his teammates) but he didn't have the chance to say anything cause someone else took on himself to give Ace their piece of mind.

«I'm pretty sure she does. You've never been able to take Eliot down. I seem to remember him always kicking you back into your place» Matt grinned but in his smile there was no trace of malice or wickedness.

«Damn right» David nodded, addressing an amused glance to his teammates.

«I guess he was your leader for a reason» the black guy who've yet to speak said, the one guy that was still unnamed for the Leverage team. He looked like a regular guy. Ok, maybe a little too built for a regular guy, but he didn't seem too threatening. «Well, at least until he wasn't anymore» he went on.

«Chris, you should totally shut up too. Ain't any of your business…» Matt told him.

«Hey! Racist much?!» Hardison cut in, feeling the unconceivable need to stand up and defend the only other black guy in the plain from what he thought was pure discrimination. As if said guy wasn't more than able to defend himself. Yeah, great plan Hardison! Bravo!

«Well, you should shut up too and for the same reason. Which, just so you know, ain't racism» Matt explained without the slightest trace of anger. «It's because you don't know what you're talking about. Chris wasn't even with us when Eliot left the team or when the two of them had their last big fight.»

«Yeah, I only joined the team two years ago. But I've heard you guys talking about it so many times that it feels like I was there with you…» the guy argued.

«Yeah, but you weren't» Ace cut in and it was obvious to everybody he was angry. «You weren't there with us when we found Nora in that cabin. You didn't saw the shape she was in. And that was two months after he rescued her. Two months of healing. And she still looked like crap…»

Deeper than the anger and the hatred for Eliot, someone good at reading people would have been able to read also affection, worry and protectiveness for Nora. Ace wasn't very lucky though, cause around him there were at least three excellent reader: Sophie, Nate and (seemingly) David. They all knew what he was feeling and they realized that the positive feelings were fuelling the negative ones.

«That's it!» David jumped up from his seat and turned towards his hacker. «Matt, come here and take the cloche, please. We still have another 20 minutes of flight before I have to start the landing procedures and I really need to have a little chat with Ace here…»

The soldier did as he was told, sitting and taking hold of the cloche in a matter of 5 seconds.

David knew the space on a plane wasn't much and that even if he tried to go for a little privacy the others were more than likely to hear anyway. So he decided to face it openly.

«Listen, man» the soldier told the other. «We're all pissed at Eliot for the way he left Nora alone back then. But we weren't there. No point in starting to get all heated up for something they can easily sort out themselves. So just be glad that an old friend is back and that they both got here safe and sound.»

«He's not a friend of mine» Ace stated angrily.

«Neither he's one of mine» Nick nodded. He really seemed ready to back up everything the other man did or said. Sophie understood by the look they shared that they were best friends. The kind of best friends ready to go to Hell and back for each other.

«Really? Cause I seem to remember both of you were pretty quick at asking me to call Eliot for help when Nora was MIA…» David argued.

«Dave, that's different. It was for Nora» Nick remarked.

«It was for Nora , yes, but it's not different. Did you see the way she was smiling when she walked into the hangar? Because I did and I haven't seen that smile in seven years. We all care for her and she's happy now. That's all that matters to me. So you two will shut the fuck up or I'll make sure you won't be able to speak for the next couple of months. Is it clear?!» David asked, his last words steely and very soldier-like.

«Crystal» both Nick and Ace echoed, unconsciously stiffening slightly.

At first, from the fiery way he talked and seemed to care for Nora, the Leverage team had assumed Ace was the Second in Command. Maybe it also had slightly to do with his height and his threatening appearance. But from the way David took care of that situation right there, they realize they were wrong. David was. The warning look he casted around the room at the other soldiers was just a confirmation.

«From the way you talk about her you all sound more like she's your little sister rather than your boss» Parker remarked giggling.

They all fell silence at once. Leave it to her to be all observing when the best thing was to shut up and let others deal with it. Sophie made a mental note to explain to Parker the art of stay silent and avoid all the dangerous remarks when dealing with a roomful of big, bad and angry soldiers that could kill you with their pinky finger. While sleeping.

«We all care for each other» David explained. «We're a family. Outside Chris, we have been working and mostly leaving together for the last 12 years or so. Moreover, Nora is not only our boss, she's the only girl in the team. So, yeah, we can be pretty defensive of her.»

«It really sounds like being in a family. A happy one. I like that» Parker nodded cheerfully.

Nick seemed busy considering the thief's words for a second and then turned to Ace.

«Man, I can't believe I'm saying this, but crazy is right. You know we're a family and family forgives. Eliot proved more than once that he cares for us and Nora» he told the taller soldier. «Ok, he walked away but maybe it was because he thought it was the right thing to do.»

«How walking away from your family can be the right thing to do?» Ace argued, but most of his anger seemed forgotten. Not all of it, but a good chunk. «How leaving your little sister behind can be right?»

«Ok, let's just say…» Nick seemed to struggle to find the proper words. «When I find a bomb I can't defuse, if I'm not able to secure it, I make you all leave the building and keep on working on it till there's only enough time for me to walk away from the bomb. So if I can't do anything, I just leave it where it is, trying to contain the damages.»

«You're saying we were some kind of bomb he had to walk away from?! Cause, guess what: we didn't blow up. And that didn't even make much sense, man» Ace complained.

«No, you weren't the bomb» Eliot cut in, making Hardison jump out of his skin for the surprise. Nobody had seemed to notice the brothers were done with their little chat and had walked towards them. Nora didn't seem the only one in the family that loved sneaking on people.

«I was» he went on. «I felt it was too much for me to deal with it. I wasn't ready for that kind of pressure and responsibilities and I knew sooner or later I'd have gotten you hurt. Or worse. So I walked away, getting you all out of harm from the "bomb".»

«Is it so?» Ace asked Eliot, not yet really sure he believed him.

«Guys, I've been one of you for five years. You've been my family for five years. I didn't want to leave but I couldn't stay. The General gave me an ultimatum: either I started leading the team or he'd kicked me out of the army. I wasn't ready for that and I was afraid so I just left you all behind…» the hitter explained.

«So now you're asking us to take you back?» Ace asked trying to keep at bay his quickly rebuilding anger. «Now that we're not in the Army anymore? Now that the General doesn't call the shots anymore?»

Unnoticed to the others, each and every one of Eliot's teammates, the current ones, were holding their breath waiting for the hitter's answer.

«No, he isn't asking anything other than seeing his little sis every once in a while. He has his own team now, his own family» she smiled to the Leverage members. «But I'd love to have him back with me alright… Especially if I'd get to boss him around…» she laughed. Eliot smiled (broken ribs, hello!), while David, Matt (still in the cockpit), Nate, Sophie and Parker joined Nora's laughter. Hardison smiled at the thought of Nora bossing Eliot around. As if she wasn't already doing it!

Even Ace and Nick smirked, knowing how much she liked to boss people around. Chris simply smiled in relief: for a little while he thought that Eliot was really coming back reclaiming his old spot in the team. Leaving him behind.

After they were done laughing, Ace stretched out his right arm, offering his hand to Eliot as a truce.

«As long as you're planning to take care of your sis, I ain't gonna feel the need to beat the crap out of you!» he said.

«Like you'd be able to…» Eliot grinned, falling easily back in an old routine of teasing and smart remarks.

«Wanna bet?» Nick cut in.

«I warn you, no bets till his ribs are fine» Nora threatened, forefinger pointed dangerously at them.

She sent death glares at Eliot, Ace and Nick and then exchanged an exasperated look with David.

«Oh, I've just realized I didn't make proper introductions…» she suddenly slapped her forehead with her good hand, in an exaggerated show of surprise. The oversight didn't seem accidental at all: she had wanted to postpone any interactions between the two teams, afraid that something bad, as in blooded bad, might have happened.

Stepping in the center of the room she started making the overdue introductions.

«So, Eliot's team. Guy's they called themselves Leverage Consulting and Associates. Their boss is Nathan» she said pointing towards him. «He's the mastermind, finding most of the jobs and doing the planning. Then there's Sophie. She's a grifter and an amazing con artist» she said nodding towards the English woman. «The girl you so politely start calling "crazy" is Parker. From what I heard she's an amazing thief. Just keep the C4 away from her and, you know, watch your personal possessions. Just to be sure…» she grinned. «And the last one is Hardison, their Matt. Minus the ass kicking skills, of course.»

«Hey, I resent that "of course"» Hardison complained.

«Deal with it or grow a pair and ask my brother to teach you a couple of things. Maybe that way you'll be able to move on from only fighting the injured to kicking sick puppies…» she replied. He slightly pouted at that.

«Guys» she said turning towards the rest of the Leverage members this time, ignoring Hardison's mumbling about how people didn't seem to understand that someone had to stand up and start fighting the injured and that _he _was that someone.

«David, here is our official pilot and mediator» Nora explained.«Whether it is because we're dealing with a kidnap or because we need to sooth our spirits. Also, he's my SIC.»

David waved in a slightly dorky and awkward way that suited him just fine.

«The one now flying the plane is Matt, our hacker. Ace, here, is our very short tempered weapons expert, while his best friend Nick deals with the explosives.»

Nora stopped a second to watch her men nodding to Eliot's people and couldn't help but to smile.

«The last one is Chris, our newbie» she explained, without really going into details about what it was that he did.

Sophie and Nate had the strange impression that the last one wasn't really feeling part of the team. The way the others acted around him clearly spoke about things and issues left unsaid. Lack of trust, maybe. They both considered that maybe filling the empty spot left in the team (and family) by Eliot wasn't that easy.

«Now that all the introductions are out of the way, go take your seats. Matt, leave the cloche to David and go with the other. I need a quick alone word with my SIC before he's too busy landing this jet» Nora said in her best "I'm the boss so don't even start to think about arguing with me" tone.

All of the soldiers did as she asked (ordered) straight away, followed by Eliot. He may not be in the Army anymore, but he knew an order when he heard one and coming from his sister he really couldn't bring himself to argue it. Hardison rushed after the hitter, willing to put him between himself and the soldiers, ready to use him as a human shield should the need to do so arise. Nate motioned Sophie to go first and followed her, checking with a quick look over his shoulder if Parker was following them. She was. Far from happy about it, but she was. That was till she remembered about Nick being the explosive guy: she suddenly felt the need to go find him.

Nora watched her walking past Eliot and Hardison, making her way towards Nick when the hitter got a hold of her arm and made her sit down: yep, totally gonna keep those two far away from each other.

«You sure you ok?» David asked over his shoulder.

She closed the cockpit's door and sat in the copilot's seat and turned towards him.

«I'm sure. It hurts like hell, but I'm sure. It might take a while to heal, though…» she said lifting her arm.

«Kuwait, right?» he remarked, motioning at the wrist.

«Yep, Kuwait» she nodded absentmindedly.

«Gonna tell me what's really bugging you any time soon?» David asked turning towards her and taking a hand from the cloche and moving it to her face to tug the few long locks behind her ear and cup her cheek.

«Yep» Nora replied leaning in his hand. «It's about Chris. We can't allow him to give up his life in the army for this team. It's unfair for him and for us. I know it, you know it. Heck, even Nick, Ace and Matt know it. They barely meet his eyes as it is. He's still trying to adjust to this new job: he doesn't yet feel part of the team and we're still trying to trust him completely. Now that we're on our own we can't afford that. I know it's harsh, but we both know that nobody ever lasted long in Eliot's place.»

«I know Nora, but can you really tell me you're willing to turn your back at him after he gave up his career for you?» he removed his hand and place it back on the cloche, but he kept looking at her.

«Willing? No» she agreed. «But I have to. And I already have a plan. I'll go talk to the General and ask him to take him back.»

«And he's going to allow you in his office after what you told him why exactly?» David asked with a grin.

«Cause either he talks to me willingly in his office or he does it the hard way. And the hard way might involve me kidnapping his sorry ass…» she smiled only half jokingly.

And David knew it.

«You can't be really thinking about kidnapping your own father, no matter how hateful and irritating he can be at times» he argued.

She cocked one eyebrow.

«Ok, ok…» David sighed. «No matter how hateful and irritating he is in most occasions, if not always! You happy?»

«Very!»

«You really sure about it?» he asked.

«I know I have to do what's right for the team. And I think this is what's right for the team…» she answered.

«Though we both know that you are sorry about it and that you're trying hard not to talk about that…» David kept pushing, hoping she would open up.

«I'm not trying» she corrected him. «I'm succeeding in it!»

«You know you can be very irritating sometimes?!» he asked her bewildered.

She arched her eyebrow again.

«Ok, most of the time!»

She grinned, leaning towards David and placing one of her hands on his shoulder.

«Glad you've noticed!» she laughed. «And now take us at Eliot's home. Take us to the place my brother's new family lives…»

«You're not going all sentimental and mushy on me, are you?» David asked, only half joking.

«You know me: I don't do sentimental and mushy» she grinned as she stood up. She then place a quick and chaste kiss on his cheek and finally turned to leave and join the others.

«Yeah, Nora. I know you…» he whispered when she was out of hearing range. And then smirked.

* * *

The patients and their families, the nurses and the doctors. Even a couple of janitors.

Those who were crowding the hospital were more than aware of the weird folks in the waiting area as close as possible (and allowed) to the examination rooms 1 and 2.

Between them you could recognize two different sets of people, of very different yet so similar people. All of them worried for the ones they cared about, all of them hanging around in the waiting room of the hospital, hoping they'd be fine.

Being it a civil hospital (opposed to a military one), they all stood out in different ways, but it was very clear to anybody in that ER that they all were weird. And for that reason everybody was staying as far away from them as it was physically possible.

The soldiers, with their clothes and their attitudes were maybe the more obvious to notice (and fear), but something of the other group made them stand out almost as much. It was the way the black man kept talking nonstop, not really caring if anybody was actually listening, only stopping to down can after can of orange soda.

It was the way the blond girl was sitting, Indian style, on one of the couch and looked small and harmless, but still her people (and the people of the other group) didn't even seem considering going to sit with her, hold her hand or hug her, assuring her that everything was going to be alright. But from the few weird words she said maybe leaving her alone wasn't such a bad idea.

It was the way the brunette woman was working her charms on all the doctors and the nurses that came her way, trying to make them tell her how long it was going to take for them to see their friends. The way her stylish clothes stood out against the furniture and the hospital gowns.

And it was the way the older man was clutching the coffee mug he got from who knows where (probably the nurses' room even though they weren't supposed to go there in the first place), looking into it the way an alcoholic would look into the amber depths of a glass of his favorite whiskey, looking for all the answers.

If this group looked like a strange assortment of very different people, the soldiers seemed more similar. At a closer look, though, you could tell how very different from each other they were.

The taller guy was pacing the waiting room, from the place his teammates were sitting to the machine vendor and back, mumbling to himself about hospitals, crazy doctors and "that time in Kuwait". He looked scary, like he could easily rip off your head if only you asked him to sit down. Or cross his road. Or breath the wrong way.

One of the other soldier, the blond strong jawed, had his eyes trailed on him and followed every single step the other took. He looked like one of those people in the audience at a Tennis event, his eyes trailed over ball.

Near him was sitting a black guy looking like he was trying to figure out whether he wanted to stand up and start pacing himself of keep on sitting where he was, his right leg bouncing around nervously. He was shifting in his seat every ten seconds or so and the soldier next to him glared at him every time he did so, rising his eyes from the Nintendo DS he was playing with.

* * *

«That's it» Matt said at some point, pocketing the videogame he had been playing with. «You'd both better stop acting like fathers outside a delivery room or help me God – and maybe Dave and Nick too – I swear I'll smash your heads into a brick wall!» he threatened. Ace only gave him a death glare and went on pacing, but Chris seemed to try to tune it down a notch, shifting a last time in his seat, leaning all the way against its back and crossing his arms. The thieves agreed with him, but they were far from willing to risk their lives telling them to quit the pacing.

«Leave them alone, Matt» David said. He was the one sitting nearest to the other group, sipping a cup of something that seemed able to help him keeping his cool.

«Dave, they're making me feel uncomfortable. And I don't even wanna think how the people in this hospital see us. I told you a military hospital would have been a better choice… We could have called in a few favors…» the other answered.

«Nora chose this hospital» David stated simply, like they knew that was usually enough for them all.

Matt grumbled but didn't say anything else.

«It should be a clean break, right?» Ace asked out of the blue. «It's the same wrist she broke in Kuwait, but she told us he snapped it. So it should be clean and it shouldn't take long to heal. It can't take long to heal. I'll go crazy if I have to spend the next couple of months sitting around…»

«Ace, we all know you have your killing quota to fulfill every week, but I'm pretty sure it's going to take a while to go on a mission again…» David said.

«Well, she can always sit out a couple of missions. She could do support…» Nick offered, still staring at Ace.

«Yeah, sure. You tell her that, man» Matt grinned.

«Yeah, bro. But before you do that you'd better kiss your ass goodbye, cause you ain't gonna survive that conversation» Ace nodded with his devilish smirk.

«Guys, we all know we'll have to regroup and find a new base. We can't just go back to the old one. The General probably has it dismantled by now. It will take us time to find a new place and to decide what to do and how to go on from there. That means no missions for a while» David explained, unconsciously staring at Chris.

Other three pairs of eyes turned to stare at him too.

«What now?» Chris asked, shifting in his seat again.

«Nothing» David said gloomy.

«What's going on, Dave?» he insisted.

«It's not my place to say, Chris» the other replied.

«Cut the crap, man. You start talking or I swear…»

«You swear what?» Nora cut in, exiting the examination room she had been in. She was now sporting a cast that went from her hand to her elbow.

«What's going on, boss?» Chris asked.

«Not here. Not now. Now I'm going to check on my brother. Then we can talk about this…» she replied shortly, heading for the examining room where Eliot was and walking through the waiting room to do so.

«I wanna talk about it now» Chris stood up, blocking Nora's path.

«I said not now» she said. «Move.»

«No. You're thinking about leaving me behind, aren't you?» the guy asked.

He didn't need to see the looks on the other four teammates' faces to know he was right.

David knew it for sure since she had told him so, but even the other three had guessed it.

Nora moved quickly. Only using her good arm, she shoved him against the wall and pushed him against it. She then pressed her cast into Chris' throat, pinning him there. He didn't put up a fight, but no one in the room (not even their teammates) was able to tell if it was because he was too surprised to do so or just because he wasn't able to.

«Now you listen to me, soldier. It doesn't matter if we're not in the army anymore. I'm still your superior and I make the calls. And if I say "we talk about it later" that's what we're gonna do, one way or another» she spoke in his hear with a soft yet creepy voice, loud enough for everybody to hear. That included not only her team, but also the other, that was now busy staring intently at what was going on. As the nurse at the desk was doing. And a doctor passing by.

«What's going on here?» the doctor asked, stopping in his tracks.

«Nothing. Trust me, doc. You don't want to get into this» Hardison cut in. «She's… Well, deadly can barely scratch the surface…»

Parker smacked him on the head and he stared at her with a look on his face that screamed "What? It's true!" but he didn't say a word, mostly because he caught a glimpse of Nora staring at him.

The doctor thought it was better to just leave them alone and walked away, the nurse turned her attention back to the charts she was studying, sparing a couple of glance at the weird people crowding her waiting room every once in a while, as to make sure nobody was in real danger.

«Now that that's clear, I'll go check on Eliot» Nora said and without another word she let go of Chris and walked to Eliot's room, opened the door and waltzed inside.

«Seriously, man. If you want to get killed, just say so. I'm sure one of your mates can land you a gun if you ain't got yours within hand's reach» Hardison noted. «She is one scary woman.»

«Believe me, we're well aware of that…» Nick grinned.

* * *

«How's the wrist?» Eliot asked from the bed he was currently laying in as Nora came into the room. He quickly spared a glance at the doctor, signaling his sister he was there. As if she hadn't already noticed it upon entering the room.

«Broken» she shrugged, walking to his bed and sitting on the chair near it. «Hey, doc. How's my big bro?»

The doctor looked at his patient, quietly asking him the permission to speak about his injuries. At Eliot's brief nod, he turned to Nora and start talking.

«Three broken ribs, at least two cracked and the others are bruised. He's lucky they didn't puncture the lungs, otherwise he'd be in a serious mess. His face is majorly bruised but there's no actual fracture in the facial bones. I'm sure it's painful, but he's not that bad… We've already tended at his injuries and there shouldn't be a concussion. I'd say you're clear to go, but I'd like you to stay here for the night, just to make sure you're really ok.»

«I'd rather go home now» Eliot cut in.

«I figured that much… But please, take it easy at least for the first couple of weeks. Bed rest for at least a couple of day. A week if you can manage it, but I guess it's a little too much to ask» the doctor replied. «Can't you try to talk some sense in him?» he asked turning towards Nora.

«He's just stubborn that way… Nothing I can say will change his mind!» she told him.

«Well then. I guess I'll go grab the discharging papers for you…»

«Thanks doc» Eliot grinned. He then turned towards his sister, who was smiling in a really creepy way.

«What?» he asked her when the doctor walked out of the room.

«I think I owe you my "I told you so" dance.…»

«Please, doc said I need to rest… To take it easy…» Eliot pleaded grinning.

«Yeah, sure… You taking it easy. I'd pay to see that!» she smirked.

* * *

So, this is really the last chapter. I swear. For real this time. Hihihi There's just the epilogue left. Which it's actually a little longer than your usual epilogue. So, yeah. It's actually another chapter, but I like to think about it as the epilogue. Seven chapters and an epilogue sounds good. Way better than eight chapters, period. I know, I'm weird.

Anyways…

I was going to just skip the hospital scene and go straight to the epilogue, but the more I tried not to think about this the more I could see it happen. So I had to give up and write it down. Hope you didn't mind. The epilogue should be up in a week or so. Sorry but college is driving me crazy… Well, the epilogue it's written, but it's on paper since I worked my way through it again (I have lost count of how many times I've rewritten this final part) while on the train and I don't always carry my laptop with me. So I just need the time to sit down, type it and review it a little bit.

And I have some stuff already in store for the second chapter of this series, but I think I'll need to find a beta before that… If anyone is interested, just let me know!

As always, love your reviews.


	8. Epilogue

For the last time: I don't own anything. Just a handful of dreams and wishes.

Happy Easter everyone!!! He're my little present…

This is it, guys. The Epilogue.

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

«So much for taking it easy…» Nora grumbled.

They were at Eliot's place, just outside town, a big country house with a huge kitchen he had furnished with the best of everything you could find in the kitchen of every renowned restaurant. She was sitting at the big kitchen island watching her brother cooking for both of their teams, who'd be there in an hour or so to have breakfast together (even if you could easily call it brunch, considering the quantity and the variety of food Eliot was cooking and the late hour they'd eat). At the moment, though, they were alone, as they'd been the night before, after they came back from the hospital.

«You know, we could have just gone to a diner or bought some donuts…» she went on. «You didn't have to do all this…»

Eliot had his hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing an apron over his jeans. He looked at her over his shoulder, still busy cooking. He wanted to shrug but his ribs hurt too much to do so.

«Let's call it my way to thank you all» he smirked.

«Just try not to overwork yourself, will you?!»

«Don't worry for me. Cooking actually relaxes me. Anyways, what are your plans, now?» Eliot asked, swiftly changing the subject.

«I'm gonna take a long holiday. At least two weeks» she grinned. «Last time I had two free weeks was when I was shot in the shoulder.»

«And after that?» he pressed her.

«After that I'm gonna go to Los Angeles. I really hope I can start something from there…» Nora said, shrugging. «I'll have Matt start looking for a place as soon as we're back.»

«You're really planning to keep the team together?» Eliot asked, more than just a little curious. He didn't like the thought of her sister alone with all the enemies she had collected during the years.

«Of course» she replied with ease. She couldn't even think to live without those guys around her every single day. Then again she'd never have thought she could live without her brother right next to her, but she did somehow. All of that, though, was left unsaid. As it was left unsaid the fact that she wasn't going to take Chris with her. She didn't think it was any of Eliot's business.

«You have any idea about what' you're gonna do?» he went on with his little questioning.

«Yes. More or less the same things we've been doing all of these years. Minus the General's influence and the army's clean up operations. But, hey, I have some good connections and I know how to use them…»

«I'm sure you do. But you're sure you want to do this? I don't want to question your choices, but you have to consider what you're getting yourself into…»

«For someone who doesn't want to question my choices, you sure sound like you're questioning them alright» she retorted. «I know it won't be easy. I have my good share of doubts and I'd be worried if I hadn't. Hell, I'm probably sending Chris back to the Army because of that, but don't you even think about suggesting I'm going into this blindfolded!»

«I'm not. But you know you're going to have to kick Chris' ass to make him leave the team, right?»

«I don't care if I'll have to kick his ass so hard that even his great grandchild still won't be able to sit: I won't let him give up his whole career for this» she complained, shrugging and tugging the long side of her fringe behind her ear.

«And so you're going to drag him back to the general, ask him to take him back and then get back here, to join the rest of your team? You know that ain't gonna work, right?»

«He's too young. He felt a lot of pressure and he chose what he thought we wanted him to chose. My job is to protect him and I'm going to do that even if it means throwing him out of the team…»

«You're stubborn» Eliot mumbled. «Always have been and always will be. Maybe there was a lot of pressure but that goes with that kind of life and if he made his choice, you can't just…» he started to argue and Nora was ready to argue with him back, but a car neared the house and the knowledge that someone was coming made them desist from going on with their squabble.

«This is far from over» Eliot threatened.

«You can bet your ass this is not over…» she replied, looking forward to the moment she'd be able to give him her piece of mind and tell him he couldn't boss her around, that she was a grown up woman now.

«It's Sophie» Eliot stated, recognizing the engine noise. «She must be early…»

«So it seems» she answered a little tense and in that moment the car came to a halt. «I'll go greet her.»

That said, she stood up and stormed out of the room, reaching the front door and opening it before Sophie had the chance to walk the few steps between her car and the door.

«Hi, I'm a little early, hope you don't mind» the grifter said smiling.

«No worries. El is cooking. I'm sure he won't mind…» Nora answered with a smile, leading the other woman to the kitchen.

«Hey Soph» Eliot greeted.

«Hi Eliot. This smells so good. You're an amazing chef!» Sophie stated, setting down on one of the stool, watching him slice and chop fruit for their breakfast, his movements only slightly impaired from his wounds. Out of the corner of her eye she was also following every move Nora made, making sure she was ok.

She soon realized that the soldier was much more relaxed and easy going than what she had let on the day before. She was more like she had been with Eliot upon finding him in his holding cell than like the cool and steely soldier she had been at their first meeting or during the mission.

Though she appreciated the professionalism she showed during the first hours together, she liked this version of her much better. She still didn't hold back any of her "verbal punches" but she was a lot more fun to be around this way.

«Are you two going to just sit there staring at me and joking around until it's ready or are you actually going to help me out with something?» Eliot asked out of the blue.

«Brother, you really don't want me around cooking food. I can make it go bad only standing a little to close to the pan» Nora laughed. «There was this one time I only had to stir the sauce for Ace while he checked if the pasta was ready and I manage to burn it. Irremediably.»

«Amazing how some things never change…» the hitter joked. «You'd better go set the table then…»

«Or what? Are you going to ground me?» she joked.

«No, I'm just going to share a few funny moments of our childhood with the others while we pass around the syrup…» he threatened.

«Why don't I go set the table?» Nora almost yelled, jumping up from the chair and storming out of the room. And you'd say she had just been ordered to kill someone asap, her hurry and eagerness was so intense.

«Soph, you want to help me with the fruit?» Eliot then asked, offering one of his precious (and really sharp) knife to the grifter.

She eyed the knife and then the man in front of her.

«I think I'd rather go help Nora setting the table. I'll get her the cutlery and the glasses. She's one hand short!» she smiled leaving the room.

«What's up with the woman in my life not being able to cook to save their lives?» Eliot wondered out loud to the empty room since Sophie, in her eagerness, left the cutlery, the cups and the glasses were they were, still in the cupboard.

* * *

«So what is bothering you?» Sophie asked when the table was finally all set and they decided to wait for the others in the living room, mostly to avoid Eliot's requests of assistance.

Nora just cocked her eyebrow, as if wondering what she meant.

«You seem… I don't know… worried about something. Oh, it's not out there for everybody to see, but reading people is my job. And considering you chose to sit here with me instead of staying in the kitchen with Eliot, I'll make an educated guess and say it has something to do with him…»

«Well… He likes to think he should have a say in my life. Which I normally wouldn't mind, unless like now he just wants to mess with my team.»

If Sophie was some other person you'd say she was going to panic. The inner symptoms were all there: sharp intake of breath, heart playing the rumba in her chest and sudden need to get the hell out of there. Though, considering she was Sophie, none of her inner turmoil showed up on the outside. But her head was spinning: Eliot said he didn't want back in Nora's team, or at least that what he'd said.

She was _so_ not afraid of losing one of her own team. She was _**so**_ not worried she had trusted someone who wasn't worthy of her trust. Not again. She was an excellent grifter, she could read people in her sleep but she didn't seem very perceptive about that particular piece of news.

«No. He's not leaving you guys» Nora reassured her as if she was able to read through the mask she was carefully wearing. Or maybe she wasn't wearing it as carefully as she thought.

«I…» Sophie began to say, but she had the feeling denying wasn't going to work or help matters. «Ok, that thought has crossed my mind. But what is all about, then?»

«What I'm going to do with my team» Nora explained. «I didn't have the chance to discuss this through with him, but what he probably doesn't get is that they're my family as much as he is. I feel responsible for them and I don't want to leave them behind.»

«I'm sure if you tell him that he will see your point…»

«Maybe so. But the thing is I'm not sure myself about what to do… I know what I should do, but it's not easy» Nora said, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

«It's how I feel every single time. It's called being a mother for your team. You know what's best, you can see it clearly, but sometimes what's best it also what's most difficult…» Sophie smiled sympathetic. «When I agreed to be part of Leverage I thought it would be only about working and helping people. Then it started being about friends. At the end it turned out to be also about being a sort of mother, someone who could help them solve their issues. But it's never about what's easy…»

«I can see how Parker and Hardison might need a motherly figure…» Nora grinned.

«They're not the only ones. Eliot and I have spent the better part of last year trying to make Nate quit drinking. I guess something of what we told him worked, cause when we get together after a few months apart, he wasn't drinking anymore…»

«Why do you do all of that?» Nora asked. «I mean, I know you're a team and so you help each other out. But why did you decide to take that on you. Don't take it the wrong way, but grifters usually are known for being selfish…»

«And I was. Very much so. But if there's one thing I know how to do is understanding what people needs, what people wants. That's what I do for a living and I did it with the team too. Some of them needed someone to teach them how to act with people, some of them deal with their grief, someone just needed to feel part of a family. I tried to give them that.»

«And what did you give to my brother?» Nora asked, only to start laughing at her own words, soon joined by Sophie. «I didn't mean it that way…»

«I know what you meant. But I have to admit I wasn't able to give much to Eliot. He's one of the most difficult to read. But I guess now that I met you, I understand him a little better…»

«How so?» Nora frowned.

«He needs to know he can protect the people he cares about. That he can keep them safe. So I guess I can help him with that, other than trying to keep myself out of harm…»

«He wants them happy too» Nora sighed in a soft whisper.

«What?» Sophie asked, not able to make out her words.

«He wants the people he cares about not only to be safe, but to be happy too. He'd learned long ago that keeping people safe isn't the same as make sure they're happy. And sometimes it's a lot easier keep them safe than make them happy» Nora explained with something new shining in her eyes. «Thank you, this little chat was really helpful…»

«Anytime» Sophie answered. «And if you need help figuring out the other thing, you know where to find me!»

«What other thing?» Nora inquired.

«You tell me. I just know there's something else bothering you, something about your team.»

Oh, but you helped with that too. You were right: I'm my team's mother too, not only its leader. I know what to do now» she smiled. «I guess you were right when you said you know how to give people what they need…»

That said, Nora stormed out of the living room, heading towards the kitchen.

* * *

«Nick's right. You can be a real prick» Nora stated upon entering the room.

She could see her brother's shoulders tensing: he was busy with a pan and his back was at her.

«I'm not saying you generally are. But that sometimes you act like one» she went on. «Someone else would have just asked if keeping the team together was what would make me happy.»

Eliot turned slightly, careful not to hurt his ribs. He was ready to answer her, giving her his piece of mind, but the look in her eyes told him she wasn't quite done yet and he'd better wait for her to say whatever she still needed to say if he cared for his life.

«You could have told me that what really matters to you is that I'm happy and if sharing my daily life with the team, even if said team includes a bigger than life jerk as Ace, made me happy then you'd be happy with and for me.» she said, taking the final steps towards Eliot and coming to a halt right inside his personal space, but there wasn0t anything threatening in it.

«But no, you chose to go all cave man and argue with me because you don't think the team is what will make me happy» Nora concluded.

Eliot eyed her for a couple of seconds to see if it was safe for him to talk.

«It it?» he asked then. «Is the team what will really make you happy? I just don't wasn't you to feel like you owe them. Like you have to do this. It's supposed to be a free choice…»

«And it is» Nora assured him. «As it was for them.»

«But I can see you're not sure…» Eliot said, studying her reaction to his words. «I see the doubts you have. I know you, maybe we haven't seen each other for years, but I know you.»

«Of course I have doubts. I'd be stupid if I didn't have them. But they're not about the team itself. It's Chris. He's a great kid, but he's still just that, a kid. He's been with us only a couple of years. I'm not sure he should give up his career and his future in the Army for this. We all are tired, we've seen and done so much that we were already considering what to do in 5 years from now. But he's only 25.»

«You're 29» Eliot argued.

«Yeah. And I've spent the last 12 years seeing and things it will probably take the rest of my life to forget. He's been in this life for only 2 years and I've always tried to shield him from the worst…»

«So you're going to send him back to daddy dearest?» Eliot asked.

«No» she replied. «I was going to but then Sophie said some stuff that made me realize something...»

«Yeah, she's great that way» Eliot grinned. «And what was this sudden epiphany of yours?»

«That I often act as their mother, rather than their team leader» Nora shrugged. «Call it maternal instincts, call it me being all mushy, but that's what I've been doing more often than not, especially with Chris.»

«So you're gonna stop being all motherly to him?» Eliot asked, not really getting where she was going with that.

«No» Nora said, heading to the fridge to grab some juice. «I've just realized that maybe I've been trying too hard to protect him. That maybe I keep thinking he's too young to be part of what we'll do, because I'm acting like a mother. That I tend to consider him just my little baby boy, if he's more than capable to take care of himself.»

«I'd love to see his reaction at those words… Him being your little baby boy» David said coming into the kitchen.

«Eavesdropping much?!» Nora complained.

«Hey, man! Didn't hear your car. Are the other out there?» Eliot asked to the new arrived.

«Nope» he replied, strolling to a chair and sitting down. «Thought I'd take a walk and come here early to try and talk some sense into Nora about Chris leaving, but it looks like someone beat me to that!»

«You said it was the right thing to so» Nora argued.

«Oh, no» David replied, shaking his head. «You were the one who said that. Repeatedly. Probably trying to convince yourself more than me.»

«So you just thought you'd ambush me and talk me into making him stay? Nice, my own men are turning against me» she said, her casted hand on her hip. «Here I thought I could trust you of all people to have my back, no matter what…»

«I do have your back» David smirked. «But sometimes I also like to think a myself as your confident and adviser.»

«Confident and adviser my ass!» Nora complained. «You just like to stick your nose where it doesn't belong!»

«True» he conceded. «But you appreciate me even more for that. How else would you know everything that's going on with the guys when you're not around?»

David flashed a 1000 watt smile at Nora and she just flipped him the bird with her good hand. To do so, though, she had to put down the juice can ( the one she had been trying to open the entire time) back on the counter, still closed.

«Oh, come on» David hissed. «You're so stubborn you'd die of dehydration rather than ask for help opening that can. Give it to me!»

«No, I'm more than capable to do it myself. I'm not two years old, you know» she argued.

«Maybe so, but sometimes you sure sound like one» David grinned taking a hold on the can.

«Guys» Eliot cut in, having witnessed to the entire exchange quietly. «Since when you two sound like a married couple?!»

«Shut up!» Nora hissed.

«Don't even go there, man» David grinned at the same time.

«I think you sound as a married couple too» Parker stated.

Her being there was so unexpected that the three highly trained supersoldiers jumped out of their skins in utter surprise.

«Sorry, I tried to stop her, saying it was a private conversation, but she argued that it was even more interesting that way» Sophie smiled apologetically behind the blond thief.

«You try to live for twelve years with a jerk like him and you'll sound like a married couple too…» Nora mumbled.

«You know I've heard that, right?» David asked.

«I was hoping you would. Acknowledging a problem is the first step to get rid of it» she smiled brightly at him.

«I only have one problem and it looks remarkably like you» David smiled back in the same fashion.

«Just let me know when's the wedding or when I'll become uncle, ok guys?» Eliot stated seriously.

The whole room resounded with their laughter. After a minute or two, they all got back to their serious selves and David offered Eliot his help with the cooking.

«Don't let him near anything: he's even worse than I am» Nora warned her brother.

«I'm not very good at cooking either. But I'd like to learn. Maybe Eliot can teach us both…» Parker suggested, 100 per cent sure that Eliot wouldn't deny her that tiny little favor.

«Yeah, maybe another time, uh?!» David answered a little scared of what could have happen if Parker was let anywhere near knives, fire, pans, frying oil and the sorts.

«Yeah, some other time actually sounds perfect» Eliot grinned, sharing his same unspoken worries.

«Talking about rainchecks» Parker smiled, unaware of the other two's thoughts. «Nora, what about that C4?»

The thief turned slightly towards Sophie and the grifter, not for the first time when the blonde was involved, wasn't sure how to read her smile: it could have been one proudly saying "see, I didn't pressure her or anything. We were already talking about something related" or some sort of understanding smile that had to do with Sophie explaining her the figurative meaning of "raincheck" and the fact that rain (or sun) wasn't really involved.

Nora seemed to consider for a second what to say.

«Well, Parker» she stalled. «You see, we ain't provided with C4 by the Army anymore, so I kinda have to use it carefully now. But what about that jump with the parachute you wanted to do? You see, we'll need David to pilot the plane for us. Just a suggestion: he loves to be tickled. Maybe if you surprise him and do it long enough, he'll agree to do it…» Nora winked.

At that, David choked on the coffee he was sipping and the other soldier had to clap him /hard) on the back.

«Thank you» he mumbled. «Now, I'll have a crazy tickler to look out for. A silently walking, skilled at hiding – and have I mention crazy?! – tickler…»

* * *

One after the other, they all gathered together at Eliot's. Everybody was there, but Matt and Hardison.

«So, Nora…» Nate started to say. «Now that you all gave up the Army, what are you going to do?»

Chris tensed at once.

«Funny you asked me that…» Nora replied first eyeing Chris and then Sophie. «Up until this morning I knew what the general plan would be, but a couple of the details were still a little foggy. But now I know what to do.»

«And are you going to ditch me before or after the brunch? Just so I know what to expect…» Chris grumbled.

«No one is going to ditch anyone» David assured him.

«Yeah, you say so. But at the end of the day she's the one who makes the call. Not you» Chris complained.

«If you don't zip it now I might really ditch your sorry ass…» Nora stated sarcastically.

«But…» he butted in.

«Chris, shut up a second and let me talk, will ya?!» she cut him short. «We're a team, the six of us. And that's not going to change. We'll just need to find a new headquarter. What about LA?»

«Surf every morning» Nick grinned.

«Chicks in cute little bikinis» Ace smirked devilishly.

«Strategic place» David pointed out a little more seriously than the other two.

«Yeah… All of that and great spicy food» Nora nodded.

They all stared at her in disbelief.

«What? I'm hungry!» she said turning to check the clock on the wall.

It was 10.45. Fifteen minutes past the time they were all supposedly due there. And still no trace of either Hardison or Matt.

«Please tell me you guys took Matt out and got him so drunk that he's still sleeping off the hung-over…» Nora said.

«Ace and I went out for a beer. David dragged Chris out with him and we met at a bar. We called Matt to come join us, but he said he already had plans…» Nick explained.

«He wasn't in our room when David came to get me» Chris added.

«Great. Did I or did I not tell you we should have kept those two away from each other. They're probably having the ultimate WOW challenge…» Nora sighed.

«That's what we thought» Ace nodded. «I mean, sometimes I think he's in love with that keyboard of his…»

«Can't say that thought has never crossed my mind…» Nora grinned. «Thing is, with Hardison missing as well I'm afraid they could go on playing together till their fingers fall off or they die of dehydration…It might take a while for both of those things to happen and I'm too hungry to wait…»

«Let's give them a call, then. You really don't want to deal with a hungry and pissed off Nora. I have scars to prove it!» David laughed.

«Again with that old story… How many times do I have to say I'm sorry and that it was an accident?!» she asked exasperated.

«You know, knives usually don't embed themselves in a table, cutting my arm in the process, on their own accord…» David smiles.

«Yep. And I remember you were really hungry that time» Ace cut in before Nora had the chance to reply.

«And pissed off too. You were fuming cos the General ordered us on a new mission when Nick still had a bullet in his shoulder and I had a spilt ankle…» David nodded.

«Yeah. I could hear you screaming in the waiting room from where the doctor was taking care of me…» Nick laughed, his blue eyes shining with childish amusement.

«Ah-ah. Nice trip down memory lane, but let's get back at those two still missing» she argued, hastily changing the subject. «El, give me your phone.»

She wasn't asking. That was her "I'm the boss so don't mess with me or I'll shoot you" voice. Eliot couldn't do anything but comply.

She flipped through his phone book and when she found what she was looking for, she pushed the calling button.

«Hey, Eliot. What's up, man?» Hardison asked over the phone.

«What's up is that you and Matt should have been here 15 minutes ago, but you're playing WOW instead» she answered. «So you'd better drag both of your asses here pronto or I might need to get creative… Oh, and tell Matt I'm hungry…»

«Go-Gotcha» Hardison mumbled, fumbling with words.

Even if the phone call was already ended, Nora could almost hear Matt's reaction at Hardison's report o f the call.

«Shit» she was sure he'd said as he started gathering his things and rush to the door.

«Here you go» she smiled to her brother giving him back the phone. «They're on their way.»

«You're sadistic, you know that?!» Eliot pointed out.

«Oh, you always say the sweetest things, big bro» she smiled.

«Mmm… How far from here is Hardison's place?» Nick asked and Ace smirked at that.

«10 miles» Parker answered. «Why?»

«Well… Less than 15 minutes» he said, turning to Ace who smirked with his best devilish look.

«I'd say 10 tops. She said to tell him she's hungry…» he replied.

Chris stared at the two, knowing full well what was going on. Nora and Eliot shared a knowing look, while the others' faces (Sophie, Nate and Parker) showed they weren't following.

«So, Ace says less than 10 minutes. Nick less than 15. What's at stake?» Chris asked.

«The number that the hot waitress from last night gave us. Whoever wins will call her» Ace proposed.

«Fine with me» Nick grinned back.

«Hey! Stop right there. She gave us all her number. Said one of us should call her, which means one of the four of us…» David argued.

«Let me get this straight» Nora cut in. «Instead of coming here to check upon your injured boss and her beaten up brother, you went to a bar and picked up a waitress, who gave you her number so that one of you, she didn't care which one, could call her?!»

David winched and Chris looked at his hands, while Nick and Ace smiled smugly.

«Sorry?» David offered.

«You'd better be» Nora replied.

«See?! It's supposed to be one between me and Nick» Ace butted in. «Chris is way too young for her and you, man… Nora has you on a short leash!»

«Yeah, you're totally whipped» Nick agreed. «She's got you by the balls.»

«Is there something between you two that I should know about?» Eliot asked, turning towards David.

«What don't you ask me that?!» Nora complained.

«No, man. I swear» David assured Eliot, trying to ignore the woman seating next to him and failing miserably.

«Well, better you than Ace, I guess» the hitter shrugged.

«Hey! I resent that!» Ace argued.

«Man, I swear: there's nothing between us» David insisted, once effortlessly trying to ignore Nora's stare.

«If I were you I'd rather be involved with David too» Parker interrupted in her usual peculiar fashion.

Nate, choked on his coffee, Sophie visibly paled, Chris hid a huge grin in his mug, while Nick started laughing openly.

Nora seemed positively amused but she didn't let herself go to any manifestation of joy.

«Don't know why, but knowing that kinda make me feel better…» Ace grinned.

«Shut up» David mumbled, his ears turning red.

«If anyone would bother to ask me what I think about this…» Nora butted in. «I'd tell him I' m not even considering dating one of this guys… You try to live with them 24/7, listening them brag about their sex life and then you'll agree with me» she explained, but the quick glance she sent to David, who glanced back, told Sophie and Nate there was something they weren't sharing with the class.

Even Eliot seemed to notice cause his eyes quickly moved from his sister to her SIC and back. Yep, definitely something left unsaid there. But he didn't seem to resent it or worry about it, cause he didn't say a word, deciding not to call the two on their bluff and to just file away the info for a further questioning.

Chris, Ace, Nick and Parker though didn't seem to notice any of that: they simply reacted to Nora's words. Parker seemed to consider the pros and cons about living with those guys and come to the conclusion it really wasn't worth it. Still she was appealed by the rush of adrenaline she thought she'd have by living life were jumping from a plane was a daily occurrence.

Ace and Nick, recognizing themselves in her description, smirked identical grins. The effect though was very different. Where Ace looked even more devilish then he normally did, Nick looked like a huge baby who had just been told he was a good big boy and was prized with his favorite toy.

Chris, instead, didn't look pleased at all.

«Hey! I do not brag» he complained. «Nor does David, for the matter…»

«That's because you don't have anything to brag about, Chris» Nick grinned.. «You should get some in order to be able to brag about it…»

«And you, man» Ace cut in. «You ain't had some in years!»

The two best friends burst into laughter, quickly followed both by Nora and David. Eliot didn't know the man but felt for him, having been right where he was (at the receiving end of Nick and Ace's jokes) for long enough to have felt the need to smash their heads against the nearest wall on more than one occasion. Sophie and Nate just smirked at the general laughter and at the disgruntled look on the guy's face. Parker, instead, looked at him intently. Which was really creepy.

«You should have sex» she stated. «Sex feels good.»

Chris seemed frightened by those words.

«Please, tell me she ain't suggesting I should have sex with her…» he whispered to David, worried.

The other laughed at him.

«I don't think so, man» he then reassured him. «But she does have a point, you know…»

«Well, you ain't getting any either!» Chris complained, only half aware of how crazy the new levels of craziness the conversation was reaching.

«No, Chris» Ace butted in. «You see, he's getting laid, but he's a smart man and knows better than go and brag about his sex life with us. He prizes his life and his bollocks too much to risk them.»

«Yep, boss would totally cut them off and then proceed to slowly kill him if he'd start discussing their sex life with us» Nick went on.

«There's that and the fact that we can get a little protective about her and one day we might feel the need to rip him a new one if he so much as harm a hair on her head…»

David paled visibly. Nora's face was flushed red in a matter of a split second. Chris was moving his lips but no sound came out. Nate and Sophie registered that maybe Nora's team wasn't that unaware as they first thought. Parker didn't seem that much surprised (cause seriously, she might be dense, but the way those two looked at each other and the little moment she had witnessed on the plane, told her all she needed to know about them).

«Come on, man» Nick glanced at Chris. «You can't be that dense. He never checks out the girls, especially if Nora is with us. When were on a mission he always checks if she's ok first… And whenever we need to go undercover as a couple she always chooses him, even if he's her SIC and therefore as her SIC he technically should stay with the rest of the team while she's away.»

«Yeah! And they also think we don't see the way they stare at each other. Or the way he's always touching her or reaching for her. It's so obvious it's not even funny to joke about it anymore…» Ace added.

Nora, being the leader and the straightforward person she was, looked at them, discomfort and shame mostly forgotten.

«You should have told us, guys» she stated. «We've been making fools of ourselves trying to hide it from you, but you've known about it the whole time!»

«Chris didn't know it. Nor Matt. You know how he is nose deep in computer stuff most of the time…» Nick reassured her. «And we thought you'd say something when you were ready... Sure enough we didn't think it would have taken you almost two years…»

«Two…?!?» David cut him short. «We've been at this only for the last 5 months…»

«Well…» Ace smirked. «You two can be pretty dense with things sometimes…»

«Yep, we totally see this coming» Nick said.

For the first time, Nora noticed that someone had been quiet since Ace and Nick had dropped the bomb: her brother.

«El?» she asked unsure of what to expect from him.

All the eyes turned towards the hitter, who looked at his sister with a serious face.

«As I said, better him than Ace. Way better. But if he hurts you, he's a dead man» Eliot answered. Nobody doubted he was serious about it.

«If he hurts her, he has us to face first. If he survives it, then you can have your turn with him…» Ace cut in, with his infamous grin plastered on his face. He too, though, was deadly serious about it. He had this strange big brother act going on, taking upon himself to look out for Nora's health and well being.

Eliot turned to Ace and sent him a death glare.

«Big brother tramples team mates hands down» he complained.

«Yeah, in a fantasy world. In real life, though, long term team mates who've been living with her almost half of her life beat the crap out of big brother who ditched her a few years back.»

Nora could smell the storm coming, could see it in the way Eliot's shoulders tensed at Ace's words. She decided to try to tone things down.

«But in both worlds, if the girls is more than able to take care of herself, she has dibs on the ass kicking of the sicker who hurt her. So cheer up, there wouldn't be much left of him after I'm done with him…» she smirked, playfully patting David's knee.

«Have I a say in this?» he asked.

«Nope» she replied, popping the "p".

«I was afraid you'd say so» he sighed. «Well, let me just say I'm not planning to hurt you anytime soon…»

As to prove that point, he leaned towards her and placed a kiss on her temple.

«Did I miss something?» Matt gasped from the threshold upon entering the room.

They were all so distracted by their conversation that none of them have heard Hardison's car approaching, parking in the yard or the two hackers storm into the house, running.

Ace turned to look at him, quickly checked his watch and then hissed a quick «Yes!» upon discovering he won the bet. Nine minutes.

«You know, you can be pretty dense for a tech genius…» Nick laughed at Matt, choosing to ignore Ace's little victory routine, which consisted in shoving his watch in his friend's face to let him now he did in fact win and then moving his hands and arms around in circles, in his little (and awkward) victory dance.

«I mean» Matt went on, not even acknowledging his team mate's sarcastic comment or the other's weird behavior. «I've always known you two have a deep connection and you trust him the most, but…»

He turned towards the others, trying to decide if he had it all wrong or if it really was like it looked. At Ace knowing grin, the one that said "Atta, man", he turned towards David.

«No fucking way!» he yelled. «When did that happened?!»

«When did what happen?» Hardison cut in. Him being a slower runner than Matt, he hadn't witnessed at the little display of affection.

«David and Nora. That's what happened» Matt summed up.

Hardison stared, mouth hanging open, first at Nota and then at David.

«It's your funeral, man» he then shrugged, sitting down next to Parker.

«Can be yours too, if you don't shut your trap» Nora threatened him.

Hardison busied himself with some juice, trying not to choke on it.

«Boss, leave my fellow geek alone. I'm still waiting for an answer here…» Matt complained.

«Five months, they've said» Nick replied. «But, man, you have to be blind, a probie or a computer nerd with his nose glues to the screen not to acknowledging it before. There have been obvious signs for the last couple of years…»

«Unbelievable» he shrugged and then helped himself with some coffee, as the coffee junky he was.

Nora looked at her brother and saw him smiling at her and grinned back at him.

She was happy. Truly, deeply happy. She was finally back with her brother.

Her family and his brother's new family were together, having brunch with no worries in the world, at least for now.

She was happy. Truly, deeply happy. Cause it finally felt like home.

--- THE END ---

* * *

That's it, guys.

Let me know what you thought about the story.

I'm currently thinking about a sequel with Nora's team and the second name on Eliot's list. It should start where the season finale left us. Let me know if you're interested. Otherwise I won't bother and focus on other stuff!!!

Once again Happy Easter!

Ps: Yay me! I made it! I finished my first multi-chapter fic in English!


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